B  3  ma 


iliiiii  is: 


GIFT    OF 
JANE  K.SATHER 


Cittaibi'0  Skat  lag 


LINCOLN  IN  1865 

From  a  glass  negative  made  by  Alexander  Gardner  at  Washing 
ton,  April  9,  1865,  six  days  before  Lincoln's  death.  An  enlarge 
ment  of  this  photograph  hangs  in  the  White  House.  It  was  re 
garded  by  many  authorities  as  the  best  existing  likeness  of  Lincoln 
at  that  time.  The  plate  is  oivncd  by  Robert  Bruce  of  Clinton, 
N.  Y. 


by 
John  W.  Starr,  Jr. 

Author  of  "Lincoln  as  President,"     "What 
Abraham  Lincoln's  Religion?"   etc. 


With    Eight    Black-and-White 
Illustrations  from  Photographs 


New  York 

Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company 
Publishers 


Copyright,  1922,  by 
FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Published  September  22,  1922 
Second  Printing,  December  2,  1922 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


Page 

LINCOLN'S  LAST  DAY 1 

NOTES 73 

CORRECTION  OP  SOME   COMMONLY  ACCEPTED 

STORIES 81 

A  BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  AUTHORITIES  WITH  AB 
BREVIATIONS  USED  IN  NOTES.  .  91 


540706 


Ciat  of  illustrations 

Lincoln  in  1865 Frontispiece 

From  a  glass  negative  made  by  Alex 
ander  Gardner  at  Washington,  April  9, 
1865,  six  days  before  Lincoln's  death. 
The  plate  is  owned  by  Robert  Bruce  of 
Clinton,  N.  Y.  An  enlargement  of  this 
photograph  hangs  in  the  White  House 
and  it  was  regarded  by  many  authorities 
as  the  best  existing  likeness  of  Lincoln 
at  that  time. 

Facing 

page 
Lincoln  in   1858 6 

From  a  photograph  taken  probably 
by  Alexander  Hesler,  in  Chicago,  in  1858. 
It  is  used  by  courtesy  of  Frederick  Hill 
Meserve  of  New  York  and  is  No.  8  in  his 
collection  of  Lincoln  photographs.  This 
is  one  of  the  best  of  the  early  photo 
graphs  showing  Lincoln  without  a  beard.  . 

Lincoln  in  1863 22 

From  a  photograph  by  Alexander 
Gardner  taken  in  Washington  on  Novem 
ber  8,  1863.  Used  by  courtesy  of  Mr. 
Meserve.  No.  58  in  his  collection,  and 
considered  by  him  to  be  one  of  the 
best  portraits  showing  the  full  figure. 


Facing 
page 
The  Carpenter  Portrait  of  Lincoln 30 

From  the  portrait  painted  by  the  late 
Frank  B.  Carpenter  at  the  White  House 
in  1864.  The  circumstances  of  its  paint 
ing  are  described  in  Mr.  Carpenter's  book, 
"Six  Months  at  the  White  House,  The 
Story  of  a  Picture/'  published  in  1866. 
The  original  portrait  now  hangs  in  the 
Union  League  Club,  New  York  City.  The 
line  across  the  left  side  of  the  face  is  a 
crack  in  the  original  canvas. 


Lincoln  in  1 864 38 

The  famous  profile,  one  of  Lincoln's 
best-known  photographs,  taken  by  M. 
B.  Brady  at  Washington  in  1864.  It  is 
from  Mr.  Meserve's  collection  (No.  81) 
and  is  used  through  his  courtesy. 


Lincoln  in   1864 46 

From  an  enlargement  of  the  original 
negative  by  M.  B.  Brady.  Taken  at 
Washington  in  1864.  It  is  owned  by 
Mr.  Meserve  and  is  No.  68  in  his  collec 
tion.  He  regards  it  as  one  of  the  finest  of 
the  portraits. 


Facing 
page 

A  Steel  Engraving  of  Lincoln 54s 

From  a  steel  engraving  used  as  the 
frontispiece  to  "Reminiscences  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln  by  Distinguished  Men  of  His 
Time/'  edited  by  Allen  T.  Rice  and  pub 
lished  in  1886  by  the  North  American 
Publishing  Company. 


The  St.  Gaudens  Statue  of  Lincoln 62 

From  a  photograph  of  the  statue  in  Lin 
coln  Park,  Chicago,  made  by  Augutus  St. 
Gaudens  and  unveiled  in  1887. 


ffiUirnin'a  Caat  ia0 


Smroln'0  Kaat  Sag 

April  the  fourteenth,  1865,  was  a  day 
of  general  thanksgiving  throughout  the 
northern  states  of  the  Union.  After  four 
years  of  fratricidal  strife,  General  Lee 
had  surrendered,  and  the  early  capitulation 
of  Johnston's  army  was  looked  for. 

The  President  had  selected  this  date 
also,  as  being  especially  fitting  on  which 
to  have  the  re-raising  of  the  Flag  over 
Fort  Sumter.  It  would  then  have  been 
exactly  four  years  since  it  had  been  low 
ered  there.  General  Robert  Anderson, 
commandant  of  the  Fort  at  the  time  of 
surrender,  had  been  selected  as  the  one 
who  should  hoist  the  identical  flag  lowered 


Utttrnltt'a  East  Sag 


by  him  in  1861,  when  the  opening  giins  of 
the  war  of  the  rebellion  were  fired. 

It  was  also  Good  Friday  on  the  church 
calendar,  and  as  such  was  observed  by  a 
certain  portion  of  the  people  in  fasting 
and  religious  meditation. 

The  city  of  Washington,  particularly, 
seemed  to  catch  the  spirit  then  pervading 
the  North,  and,  as  one  writer  puts  it,  "was 
in  gala  attire." 

Meanwhile,  that  morning,  President 
Lincoln  had  arisen  at  the  usual  hour, 
about  seven  o'clock,  and  wended  his  way 
to  his  office  to  transact  some  business 
before  breakfast,  as  was  his  custom.  His 
bedroom  and  office  were  on  the  second  floor 
of  the  White  House,  both  fronting  on  the 
south,  and  but  a  few  doors  apart.  Seated 
at  his  desk  he  was  looking  directly  south — 
there  was  the  Potomac  river  yonder,  and 
beyond  it,  Arlington  Heights. 
[  2] 


Hag 


He  despatched  a  note  to  Assistant  Sec* 
re  tar  y  of  State  Frederick  W.  Seward, 
then  acting  as  Secretary,  instructing  him 
to  call  a  Cabinet  meeting  for  11  o'clock 
that  morning,  and  informing  him  that 
General  Grant  would  be  present.1  Then, 
in  order  to  insure  the  General's  attend 
ance  upon  the  meeting  at  that  time,  he 
sent  him  a  brief  note  requesting  him 
to  call  at  the  White  House  at  11  A.M. 
instead  of  at  9,  as  had  been  previously 
agreed  upon.2  General  Grant  had  arrived 
in  Washington  the  preceding  day,  and 
was  staying  at  Willard's  Hotel. 

It  must  have  been  at  this  time,  also,  that 
he  received  and  replied  to  a  communica 
tion  from  General  James  Van  Alen  of 
New  York  City,  requesting  him  not 
again  to  expose  his  life  unnecessarily  as 
he  had  done  at  Richmond  a  short  time 
before,  for  the  sake  of  his  friends,  and  the 
[3] 


Untraltt'0  Hast  Sag 


nation  at  large.  In  his  reply  the  Presi 
dent  said:  "I  intend  to  adopt  the  advice 
of  my  friends,  and  use  due  precaution," 
and  thanked  the  General  for  the  assurance 
given  that  he  would  be  supported  by  the 
conservative  men  of  the  nation  in  his 
efforts  to  restore  the  Union.3 

He  then  proceeded  to  breakfast,4  where 
he  found  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  Tad  awaiting 
him.  As  they  sat  there  chatting,  Captain 
Robert  Lincoln,  the  President's  eldest 
son,  stepped  in  upon  them.  The  Captain, 
who  had  been  at  the  front  for  the  last  two 
months,  on  the  staff  of  General  Grant, 
had  just  arrived  in  the  city  that  morning. 
He  was  warmly  greeted  by  the  rest  of  the 
family,  and  joined  them  in  their  morning 
meal. 

With  him  his  father  conversed  for 
nearly  an  hour,  the  President  being  par 
ticularly  anxious  to  get  all  of  the  details 

[  4] 


9Iutr0ttt'0  East 


of  the  closing  scenes  of  the  campaign,  and 
listening  attentively  to  the  description  of 
the  surrender  at  Appomattox,  as  related 
by  Robert.  Little  Tad  was  also  an  eager 
listener. 

Robert  had  brought  along  a  portrait  of 
General  Lee  and  handed  it  to  his  father.5 
In  the  words  of  one  who  witnessed  the  inci 
dent,  "the  President  took  the  picture,  laid 
it  on  the  table  before  him,  scanned  the  face 
thoughtfully,"  and  then  said,  with  deep 
feeling: 

"It  is  a  good  face;  it  is  the  face  of  a 
noble,  brave  man.  I  am  glad  that  the  war 
is  over  at  last." 

"Well,  my  son,"  he  continued,  looking 
up  at  Robert,  "y°u  have  returned  safely 
from  the  front.  The  war  is  now  closed, 
and  we  soon  will  live  in  peace  with  the 
brave  men  that  have  been  fighting  against 
us.  I  trust  that  the  era  of  good  feeling 
[  5] 


'*  East  iag 


has  returned,  and  that  henceforth  we  shall 
live  in  peace. 

"Now,  listen  to  me,  Robert:  you  must 
lay  aside  your  uniform,  and  return  to  col 
lege.  I  wish  you  to  read  law  for  three 
years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  I  hope 
that  we  will  be  able  to  tell  whether  you 
will  make  a  lawyer  or  not." 

And  the  narrator  continues,  "His  face 
was  more  cheerful  than  I  had  seen  it  for  a 
long  while,  and  he  seemed  to  be  in  a  gen 
erous,  forgiving  mood." 

Yet  he  seemed  to  have  a  presentiment 
that  something  of  importance  had  taken 
place  or  was  about  to  transpire,  for  he 
narrated  a  dream  he  had  had  the  night 
before  which  he  was  later  to  mention  to 
his  cabinet.6 

As  they  sat  there  talking,  the  President 
was  informed  that  Schuyler  Colfax,  then 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
£6] 


LINCOLN  IN  1858 

From  a  photograph  taken  probably  by  Alexander  Hesler,  in 
Chicago,  in  1858.  It  is  used  by  "courtesy  of  Frederick  Hill 
Mcscrvc  of  New  York  and  is  No.  8  in  his  collection  of  Lincoln 
photographs.  This  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  early  photographs 
showing  Lincoln  without  a  beard. 


Bag 


was  in  the  White  House,  and  he  sent  him 
word  that  he  would  see  him  immediately 
in  the  reception  room.7 

It  was  the  Speaker's  intention  to  take 
an  extended  trip  to  California  and  the 
mining  regions  of  the  West,  and  he  had 
called  that  morning  to  find  out  whether 
the  President  intended  to  call  an  extra 
session  of  Congress  that  summer. 

Lincoln  assured  him  that  he  did  not. 

They  had  a  long  and  interesting  con 
ference  together.  The  President  spoke 
quite  freely  as  to  his  future  policy  regard 
ing  the  rebellion,  which  he  intended  to  sub 
mit  to  his  Cabinet  that  day.  He  also  gave 
the  Speaker  the  following  verbal  message, 
which  he  desired  him  to  convey  to  the 
miners  in  the  West:  8 

"Mr.  Colfax,  I  want  you  to  take  a  mes 
sage  from  me  to  the  miners  whom  you 
visit.  I  have  very  large  ideas  of  the  min- 
[7] 


'a  East  Sag 


eral  wealth  of  our  nation.  I  believe  it 
practically  inexhaustible.  It  abounds  all 
over  the  western  country,  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  and  its  devel 
opment  has  scarcely  commenced.  During 
the  war,  when  we  were  adding  a  couple 
of  millions  of  dollars  every  day  to  our 
national  debt,  I  did  not  care  about  encour 
aging  the  increase  in  the  volume  of  our 
precious  metals.  We  had  the  country  to 
save  first.  But  now  that  the  rebellion  is 
overthrown,  and  we  know  pretty  nearly 
the  amount  of  our  national  debt,  the  more 
gold  and  silver  we  mine,  we  make  the  pay 
ment  of  that  debt  so  much  the  easier. 

"Now,"  he  went  on,  speaking  with  more 
emphasis,  "I  am  going  to  encourage  that 
in  every  possible  way.  We  shall  have 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  disbanded  sol 
diers,  and  many  have  feared  that  their 
return  in  such  great  numbers  might 
[8] 


'a  Hast 


paralyze  industry,  by  furnishing  sud 
denly  a  greater  supply  of  labor  than 
there  will  be  demand  for.  I  am  going  to 
try  to  attract  them  to  the  hidden  wealth 
of  our  mountain  ranges,  where  there  is 
room  enough  for  all. 

"Immigration,  which  even  the  war  has 
not  stopped,  will  land  upon  our  shores 
hundreds  of  thousands  more  per  year  from 
overcrowded  Europe.  I  intend  to  point 
them  to  the  gold  and  silver  that  wait  for 
them  in  the  West. 

"Tell  the  miners  for  me,  that  I  shall 
promote  their  interests  to  the  utmost  of 
my  ability;  because  their  prosperity  is  the 
prosperity  of  the  nation;  and,"  he  added, 
his  eye  kindling  with  enthusiasm,  "we 
shall  prove,  in  a  very  few  years,  that  we 
are  indeed  the  treasury  of  the  world." 

As  he  had  for  some  time  been  thinking 
of  settling  in  California  permanently 
[9] 


'fi  ICast  JJmj 


when  his  term  of  office  should  expire,  in 
order  to  give  his  two  boys  better  chances 
than  he  thought  any  of  the  older  states 
could  offer,  he  told  Colfax  to  bring  back 
to  him  a  full  report  of  what  he  should  see 
on  his  trip.  This  would  help  him  to  decide 
in  his  mind  better,  whether  to  return  to 
his  old  Springfield  home,  or  remove  to 
California  when  he  relinquished  the 
Presidential  office. 

Following  this  interview,  General  John 
A.  J.  Cress  well,  of  Maryland,  was  shown 
into  the  room.9  He  had  come  over  that 
morning  from  Baltimore  to  see  the  Presi 
dent  in  regard  to  setting  free  a  Confeder 
ate  prisoner  who  had  been  an  old  college 
mate  of  his.  He  brought  with  him  an  affi 
davit  vouching  for  the  soundness  of 
character  and  worth  of  the  prisoner. 

As  the  Marylander  entered  the  recep 
tion  room,  Lincoln  rose  from  his  chair  and 

[  10] 


Ktttniltt'0  East  Sag 


stepped  towards  him,  extending  his  hand. 

"Hello,  Cresswell.  The  war  is  over," 
greeted  the  President,  shaking  his  caller's 
hand  warmly.  And  without  giving  him 
time  to  explain  his  errand,  the  chief  execu 
tive  entered  into  a  discussion  of  the  theme 
uppermost  in  his  mind,  namely,  the  end 
of  the  rebellion. 

"Look  at  that  telegram  from  Sher 
man,"  he  said,  extending  it  for  the  Gen 
eral's  perusal.  "It  has  been  an  awful  war, 
Cresswell,  an  awful  war,  but  it's  over," 
he  added  thankfully. 

Finally,  the  thought  occurring  to  him 
that  the  General  must  have  come  to  see 
him  for  some  particular  purpose,  he  said, 
with  a  touch  of  humor: 

"But  what  are  you  after?  You  fellows 
don't  come  to  see  me  unless  you  want 
something.  It  must  be  something  big,  or 
you  wouldn't  be  here  so  early." 


Uutniht'a  iEcust  Bait 


General  Cresswell  then  explained  his 
errand  and  handed  Lincoln  the  affidavit. 

"That's  not  so  hard,"  responded  the 
President,  "you  did  right  to  put  it  in  writ 
ing.  I  don't  care  to  read  the  statement. 
I  know  you  know  how  to  make  affidavits. 
But  it  makes  me  think  of  an  Illinois  story, 
and  I'm  going  to  tell  it  to  you. 

"Years  ago  a  lot  of  young  folks,  boys 
and  girls,  out  in  Illinois,  got  up  a  Maying 
party.  They  took  their  dinners  and  went 
down  to  a  place  where  they  had  to  cross 
the  Sangamon  river  on  an  old  scow.  They 
got  over  all  right  and  had  a  good  picnic. 
When  it  was  time  to  go  back  they  were 
hilarious  at  finding  that  the  scow  had  got 
untied  and  floated  down  the  stream. 
After  a  while  the  thing  looked  more 
serious,  for  there  was  no  boat  and  they 
couldn't  throw  out  a  pontoon.  Then  the 
girls  became  scared.  Pretty  soon  a  young 
[  12] 


*!*  Hast  Sag 


man,  a  little  brighter  than  the  rest,  pro 
posed  that  each  fellow  take  off  his  shoes 
and  stockings  and  pick  up  the  girl  he  liked 
best  and  carry  her  over.  It  was  a  great 
scheme,  and  it  worked  all  right  until  all 
had  gotten  over  but  a  little,  short  young 
man,  and  a  very  tall,  dignified  old  maid. 
Then  there  was  trouble  for  one  young 
man  in  dead  earnest. 

"Now,  do  you  see,"  he  continued,  "you 
fellows  will  get  one  man  after  another  out 
of  the  business  until  Jefferson  Davis  and 
I  will  be  the  only  ones  left  on  the  island, 
and  I'm  afraid  he'll  refuse  to  let  me  carry 
him  over,  and  I'm  afraid  there  are  some 
people  who  will  make  trouble  about  my 
doing  it,  if  he  consents." 

Lincoln's  auditor  laughed  heartily  at 
the  story  and  its  application. 

"It's  no  laughing  matter;  it's  more  than 
likely  to  happen,"  the  President  went  on. 
[  13  ] 


's  Slant  flag 


"There  are  worse  men  than  Jefferson 
Davis,  and  I  wish  I  could  see  some  way 
by  which  he  and  the  people  would  let  us 
get  him  over.  However,  we  will  keep 
going  on  and  getting  them  out  of  it,  one 
at  a  time." 

Then,  taking  up  the  affidavit,  he 
endorsed  it,  and  handed  it  to  his  visitor 
to  take  over  to  the  War  Department, 
where  his  wishes  would  be  carried  out. 

His  old  Illinois  friend,  "Dick"  Yates,10 
who  had  recently  taken  his  seat  in  the 
Senate,  called,  bringing  along  another 
Illinoisan,  Colonel  William  P.  Kellogg. 
Kellogg  had  been  a  Presidential  elector 
and  Federal  judge,  aside  from  his  military 
service  as  Colonel  of  the  Seventh  Illinois 
Cavalry,  and  Senator  Yates  believed  him 
to  be  well  adapted  for  the  post  of  collector 
of  the  port  of  New  Orleans,  which  he 
knew  to  be  open. 

[  14] 


Sag 


"Mr.  President,  here  is  the  man  you 
want,"  Yates  said,  after  stating  his 
reasons. 

"That's  so,  he'll  do,"  Lincoln  replied. 
Then  turning  to  Colonel  Kellogg,  "I  am 
going  to  send  you  to  New  Orleans  to  be 
collector  of  the  port — you  will  have  two 
thousand  employes  under  you,  all  north 
erners,  because,  substantially,  all  southern 
ers  are  disfranchised;  but  I  want  you  to 
make  love  to  those  people  down  there,"  he 
added,  referring  to  the  southerners. 

"I  want  this  commission  issued  now," 
he  went  on,  and  took  steps  to  have 
it  issued  and  sent  over  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  before  his  callers  left  the 
White  House. 

He  then  had  a  short  interview  with 
Hon.  John  P.  Hale,  whom  he  had  recently 
appointed  Minister  to  Spain.11 

When  Hale  had  left,  he  saw  several 
[  15] 


Utttrnht's  Hast  Sag 


Representatives  and  Senators,12  and  then 
left  for  his  regular  visit  to  the  War  Offices, 
to  get  the  latest  news  from  the  front.13 
This  he  was  accustomed  to  do  every  morn 
ing  and  evening,  and  ofttimes  late  at 
night,  as  the  only  telegraph  offices  in 
Washington  at  that  time  connected  with 
the  Government  were  located  in  the  War 
Department. 

His  visit  that  morning  must  necessarily 
be  brief,  if  he  was  to  get  back  to  the 
Executive  Mansion  in  time  for  the  Cabinet 
meeting. 

While  looking  over  the  files,  he  informed 
Secretary  Stanton  that  General  Grant, 
who,  with  his  wife,  had  intended  to  accom 
pany  the  President's  party  to  the 
theatre  that  evening,  had  cancelled  that 
engagement. 

Thereupon,  the  War  Secretary,  who 
had  been  instrumental  in  getting  the  Gen- 
[  16] 


fttttodn'is  iCast  lag 


eral  to  stay  away,  remonstrated  with  Lin 
coln  about  his  intention  of  going  to  the 
play,  but  to  no  avail. 

He  then  urged  the  President  to  have  a 
competent  guard. 

"Stanton,  do  you  know  that  Eckert  can 
break  a  poker  over  his  arm?"  Lincoln 
asked,  referring  to  the  chief  of  the  tele 
graph  offices  in  the  War  Department,  an 
unusually  strong  man,  and  alluding  to  an 
incident  he  had  witnessed  in  the  offices 
some  time  before,  when  Eckert  had  actu 
ally  broken  several  cast-iron  pokers  of  a 
rather  poor  quality  over  his  arm. 

"No,  why  do  you  ask  such  a  question?" 
replied  the  astonished  Secretary. 

"Well,  Stanton,"  said  Lincoln,  "I  have 
seen  Eckert  break  five  pokers,  one  after 
the  other,  over  his  arm,  and  I  am  thinking 
he  would  be  the  kind  of  man  to  go  with 
me  this  evening.  May  I  take  him?" 

[  17] 


JJtnrnIn'0  Slant 


Stanton  replied  that  he  had  some 
important  work  for  Eckert  that  evening* 
and  so  could  not  let  him  go. 

"Well,  I  will  ask  the  Major  myself,  and 
he  can  do  your  work  to-morrow,"  and 
suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  passed 
into  the  cipher-room  to  see  the  chief.  To 
him  Lincoln  explained  his  intentions  for 
the  evening,  and  said  that  he  wanted  him 
to  join  the  party,  but  that  on  mentioning 
the  fact  to  Stanton,  the  Secretary  had 
replied  that  he  could  not  spare  him. 

"Now,  Major,"  the  President  went  on, 
"come  along.  You  can  do  Stanton's  work 
to-morrow,  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  I  want 
you  with  us." 

Eckert,  however,  declined  the  invitation 
on  the  grounds  that  the  work  which  was 
to  be  done,  could  not  be  postponed,  but 
must  be  done  that  evening,  although  he 
thanked  the  President  for  the  offer. 
[  18] 


Untroitt'js  ICajst  Bag 


"Very  well,"  replied  Lincoln,  "I  shall 
take  Major  Rathbone  along,  because 
Stanton  insists  upon  having  some  one  to 
protect  me ;  but  I  should  much  rather  have 
you,  Major,  since  I  know  you  can  break  a 
poker  over  your  arm." 

Then,  as  it  was  nearing  the  hour  for  the 
Cabinet  meeting,  he  returned  to  the  White 
House. 

Meanwhile,  that  morning,  Mrs.  Lin 
coln,  who  usually  attended  to  the  arrang 
ing  of  the  theatre  parties  for  the  Presi 
dent,  had  sent  word  to  Ford's  theatre, 
accepting  on  behalf  of  the  President  and 
General  Grant,  an  invitation  from  the 
management  to  attend  the  comedy  to  be 
played  there  that  evening,  "Our  Ameri 
can  Cousin,"  played  by  Laura  Keene,  and 
engaging  a  box  for  the  performance.14 

She  had  tried  to  persuade  her  husband 
not  to  go,  but  he  persisted,  in  order,  as  he 
[  19  ] 


Htttnrttt'0  East  Bail 


said,  to  escape  the  multitude  who  would 
otherwise,  that  evening,  press  into  the 
White  House  to  shake  hands  with  him.15 

"I  must,"  he  said,  "have  a  little  rest. 
A  large  and  overjoyed,  excited  people 
will  visit  me  to-night,  if  I  am  here.  My 
arms  are  lame  by  shaking  hands  with  the 
multitude,  and  the  people  will  pull  me  to 
pieces." 

He  also  told  Robert  there  would  be 
room  for  him  in  the  box,  and  asked  him  to 
be  of  the  party.  But  Robert  excused 
himself  on  the  plea  that  he  was  tired  and 
would  prefer  to  rest.16 

Shortly  thereafter  a  note  was  brought 
from  the  National,  the  other  leading 
theatre  in  Washington  at  that  time, 
extending  an  invitation  to  President  Lin 
coln  and  family  to  see  Wallack  and 
Davenport  in  "Aladdin." 

To  this  offer,  Mrs.  Lincoln  replied 
[  20  ] 


JCtttroln'ja  Unfit  Sag 


that  the  President  was  sorry  that  the  invi 
tation  had  not  been  sent  earlier,  but  that 
as  he  had  already  accepted  an  invitation 
from  Ford's,  of  course,  it  would  be  impos 
sible  for  him  to  be  present.  However, 
Tad  and  his  tutor  would  be  glad  to 
accept.17 

When,  later,  Mrs.  Lincoln  found  out 
definitely  that  General  Grant  and  his 
wife  would  not  attend,  she  sent  an  invita 
tion  to  Major  Henry  R.  Rathbone  and 
Miss  Harris,  step-son  and  daughter, 
respectively,  of  Senator  Ira  Harris  of 
New  York.18 

Promptly  at  eleven  o'clock  General 
Grant  arrived  at  the  White  House,  and 
he  and  President  Lincoln  repaired  to  the 
President's  office,  where  the  Cabinet 
meetings  were  held.19 

Secretaries  McCulloch,  of  the  Treasury* 
and  Welles,  of  the  Navy,  Postmaster- 
[21] 


Bag 


General  Dennison  and  Attorney- General 
Speed  were  there  on  time,  as  was  Freder 
ick  W.  Seward,  acting  Secretary  of  State 
since  his  father,  the  Secretary,  had  been 
injured  by  a  fall  from  his  carriage  a  short 
time  before. 

Congratulations  were  interchanged 
with  the  General,  who  gave  a  short 
description  of  the  events  connected  with 
the  surrender  of  Lee. 

"What  terms  did  you  make  for  the  com 
mon  soldiers?"  the  President  asked  at  one 
point. 

"I  told  them  to  go  back  to  their  homes 
and  families,  and  they  would  not  be 
molested  if  they  did  nothing  more,"  Gen 
eral  Grant  answered,  to  which  reply 
Lincoln's  face  glowed  in  approval. 

The  President  had  seated  himself  by 
the  south  window,  in  his  study  chair,  to 
preside  over  their  deliberations. 
[  22] 


LINCOLN  IN  1863 

From  a  photograph  by  Alexander  Gardner  taken  in  Washington 
on  November  8,  1863.  Used  by  courtesy  of  Mr.  Me  serve.  No. 
58  in  his  collection,  and  considered  by  him  to  be  one  of  the  best 
portraits  shoiving  the  full  figure. 


Ctttraltus  Hast  iag 


The  question  arising  as  to  what  dispo 
sition  should  be  made  of  the  leaders  of  the 
fallen  Confederacy,  the  Postmaster-Gen 
eral  said  that  he  supposed  the  President 
would  not  be  sorry  to  see  them  escape  out 
of  the  country. 

"Well,"  Lincoln  slowly  replied,  "I 
should  not  be  sorry  to  have  them  get  out 
of  the  country,  but  I  should  be  for  follow 
ing  them  up  pretty  closely  to  make  sure 
of  their  going." 

On  the  General  remarking  that  he  was 
anxiously  awaiting  news  from  Sherman 
and  was  expecting  to  hear  from  him  at 
any  time,  the  President  said  that  "news 
would  come  soon,  and  come  favorably  he 
had  no  doubt,  for  last  night  he  had  had 
his  usual  dream  which  had  preceded  nearly 
every  important  event  of  the  war." 

The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  then 
inquired  the  particulars  of  the  remarkable 
[23] 


•Eutroltt's  ICast  Say 


dream,  to  which  Lincoln  replied  that  it 
always  occurred  in  his  (the  Secretary's) 
department;  he  seemed  in  every  case,  to 
be  on  a  singular,  indescribable  vessel, 
which  floated  or  drifted  with  great  rapid 
ity  towards  an  unknown  shore.  This 
dream,  he  added,  he  had  had  preceding 
the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter,  and  the  battles 
of  Bull  Run,  Antietam,  Gettysburg, 
Stone  River,  Vicksburg  and  Wilmington. 

The  practical  Grant,  however,  remarked 
that  Stone  River  was  no  victory,  and  that 
a  few  victories  like  that  would  have  ruined 
the  country. 

"However  the  facts  may  be,"  replied 
Lincoln,  "the  singular  dream  preceded 
that  fight;  victory  did  not  always  come, 
but  the  event  and  results  were  important. 

"I  have  no  doubt,"  he  added,  "that  a 
battle  has  taken  place  or  is  being  fought, 
and  Johnston  will  be  beaten,  for  I  had 
[  24  ] 


Hfnroht'a  East  Hag 


this  strange  dream  last  night.  It  must 
relate  to  Sherman;  my  thoughts  are  in 
that  direction,  and  I  know  of  no  other  very 
important  event  which  is  likely  just  now 
to  occur.  But,"  he  abruptly  broke  off 
as  Secretary  Stanton  just  then  entered 
the  room,  "let  us  proceed  to  business, 
gentlemen." 

Immediately  the  members  settled  down 
to  a  consideration  of  momentous  questions. 

Almost  the  entire  discussion  of  this,  the 
last  session  over  which  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  to  preside,  was  given  over  to  the  man 
ner  in  which  the  Government  should  deal 
with  the  seceded  states. 

"The  President  was  very  hopeful  and 
cheerful,  and  spoke  kindly  of  General  Lee 
and  other  officers  of  the  Confederacy. 
Particularly  did  his  kindly  feelings  go  out 
to  the  Confederate  enlisted  men,  and  he 
clearly  showed  that  he  desired  to  restore  a 
[  25  ] 


JJUtrnltt'0  3&ust  Sag 


satisfactory  peace  to  the  South,  through 
due  regard  for  her  vanquished  citizens. 

"Yet,  while  buoyant,  he  seemed  de 
pressed  at  times,  notably  when  referring 
to  his  dream  of  the  night  before."2 

After  the  several  members  had  expressed 
themselves  on  the  question  of  opening  up 
the  different  southern  ports  to  trade,  the 
President  appointed  a  committee  consist 
ing  of  the  Secretaries  of  Treasury,  War 
and  Navy  to  look  up  the  matter  carefully 
and  settle  it  in  any  manner  they  should 
agree  upon. 

Secretary  Stanton  then  brought  up  the 
subject  of  reconstructing  and  preserving 
civil  governments  in  the  southern  states. 
He  had  already  formulated  and  drawn  up 
a  plan  setting  forth  his  own  views,  a  copy 
of  which  he  had  handed  to  the  President 
the  preceding  day. 

The  President's  opinions  on  this  have 
[26] 


Vitiadn'0  Slant  Sag 


been  preserved  to  us  by  Secretary  Welles, 
who  entered  it  in  his  diary  at  the  time, 
and  wrote  it  out  in  detail  seven  years 
later.21 

"I  proposed  to  bring  forward  this  sub 
ject,"  President  Lincoln  said,  "although 
I  have  not  had  time  as  yet  to  give  much 
attention  to  the  details  of  the  paper  which 
the  Secretary  of  War  gave  me  yesterday; 
but  it  is  substantially,  in  its  general  scope, 
the  plan  which  we  have  sometimes  talked 
over  in  Cabinet  meetings.  We  shall  prob 
ably  make  some  modifications,  prescribe 
further  details ;  there  are  some  suggestions 
which  I  shall  wish  to  make,  and  I  desire 
all  of  us  to  bring  our  minds  to  the  question, 
for  no  greater  or  more  important  one  can 
come  before  us,  or  any  future  Cabinet. 

"I  think  it  Providential  that  this  great 
rebellion  is  crushed  just  as  Congress  has 
adjourned,  and  there  are  none  of  the  dis- 
[  27  ] 


turbing  elements  of  that  body  to  hinder 
and  embarrass  us.  If  we  are  wise  and  dis 
creet,  we  will  reanimate  the  states  and  get 
their  governments  in  successful  operation, 
with  order  prevailing  and  the  Union 
re-established,  before  Congress  comes 
together  in  December.  This,  I  think,  is 
important.  We  can  do  better,  accomplish 
more  without  than  with  them.  There  are 
men  in  Congress  who,  if  their  motives  are 
good,  are  nevertheless  impracticable,  and 
who  possess  feelings  of  hate  and  vindictive- 
ness,  in  which  I  do  not  sympathize  and  can 
not  participate. 

"I  hope  there  will  be  no  persecution,  no 
bloody  work,  after  the  war  is  over.  No 
one  need  expect  me  to  take  any  part  in 
hanging  or  killing  those  men,  even  the 
worst  of  them.  Frighten  them  out  of  the 
country,  open  the  gates,  let  down  the  bars, 
[  28  ] 


fftttraln'0  Hast  Bag 


scare  them  off,"  he  continued,  throwing 
up  his  hands  as  if  scaring  sheep. 

"Enough  lives  have  been  sacrificed. 
We  must  extinguish  our  resentments  if  we 
expect  harmony  and  union.  There  is  too 
much  of  a  desire  on  the  part  of  some  of 
our  very  good  friends  to  be  masters,  to 
interfere  with  and  dictate  to  those  states, 
to  treat  the  people  not  as  fellow-citizens; 
there  is  too  little  respect  for  their  rights. 

"I  do  not  sympathize  in  these  feelings. 

"Louisiana  has  framed  and  presented 
one  of  the  best  constitutions  that  has  ever 
been  formed.  I  wish,  however,  they  had 
permitted  negroes  who  have  property  or 
can  read,  to  vote;  this  is  a  question  which 
they  must  decide  for  themselves.  Yet, 
some,  a  very  few  of  our  friends,  are  not 
willing  to  let  the  people  of  the  states 
determine  these  questions,  but,  in  violation 
of  first  and  fundamental  principles,  would 
[29] 


ICtnrnitt'B  ICaat  Bag 


exercise  arbitrary  power  over  them. 
These  humanitarians  break  down  all  state 
rights  and  constitutional  rights.  Had  the 
Louisianians  inserted  the  negro  in  their 
constitution,  and  had  that  instrument  been 
in  all  other  respects  the  same,  Mr.  Sum- 
ner  would  never  have  taken  exception  to 
that  constitution.  The  delegation  would 
have  been  admitted,  and  also  the  state. 

"Each  House  of  Congress,"  he  contin 
ued,  "has  the  undoubted  right  to  receive  or 
reject  members;  the  Executive  has  no 
control  in  this  matter.  But  Congress  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  state  governments, 
which  the  President  can  recognize,  and 
under  existing  laws  treat  as  other  states, 
give  them  the  same  mail  facilities,  collect 
taxes,  appoint  judges,  marshals,  collectors, 
etc.,  subject,  of  course,  to  confirmation. 

"There  are  men,"  he  concluded,  "who 
object  to  these  views,  but  they  are  not 
[  30] 


THE  CARPENTER  PORTRAIT  OF  LINCOLN 

From  the  portrait  painted  by  the  late  Frank  B.  Carpenter  at 
the  White  House  in  1864.  The  circumstances  of  its  painting  are 
described  in  Mr.  Carpenter's  book,  "Six  Months  at  the  White 
House,  The  Story  of  a  Picture,"  published  in  1866.  The  original 
portrait  now  hangs  in  the  Union  League  Club,  New  York  City. 
The  line  across  the  left  side  of  the  face  is  a  crack  in  the  original 
canvas. 


here,  and  we  must  make  haste  to  do  our 
duty  before,  they  come  here,"  (again 
referring  to  Congress) . 

Secretary  Stanton  then  read  his  project 
for  establishing  a  temporary  military  gov 
ernment  for  the  states  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina^. 

Secretary  Welles  objected  to  military 
control,  and  the  plan  of  putting  two  states 
temporarily  under  one  government,  and 
cited  his  objections. 

"Your  exceptions,  some  of  them  at 
least,"  the  President  said,  "are  well  taken. 
Some  of  them  have  occurred  to  me.  It 
was  in  that  view  I  had  been  willing  that 
General  Weitzel  should  call  the  leading 
rebels  together,  because  they  were  not  the 
legal  Legislature  of  Virginia,  while  the 
Pierpont  Legislature  was. 

"What  would  you  do  with  Pierpont 
[31  ] 


'g  IGast  Smj 


and  the  Virginia  Constitution?"  he 
continued,  turning  to  Stanton. 

But  the  War  Secretary  said  that  he  had 
no  apprehension  from  Pierpont,  and  that 
the  paper  which  he  had  submitted  was 
merely  a  rough  sketch,  subject  to 
alteration. 

Postmaster-General  Dennison  then  gave 
his  objections  to  Stanton's  plan,  and 
was  followed  by  Welles,  who  again  spoke 
on  the  matter. 

As  the  meeting  was  drawing  to  a  close, 
Lincoln  directed  his  War  Secretary  to 
take  the  document  and  draw  up  two  differ 
ent  plans  for  the  two  different  states,  and 
have  copies  made  of  each  and  furnished  to 
each  member  of  the  Cabinet  by  the  follow 
ing  Tuesday,  when  they  would  have  their 
next  regular  meeting.  They  required 
different  treatment,  the  President  said.  . 

"We  must  not,"  he  added,  "stultify 
[32] 


Sag 


ourselves  as  regards  Virginia,  but  we  must 
help  her.  North  Carolina  is  in  a  different 
condition." 

Then  he  impressed  upon  each  member 
the  importance  of  deliberating  upon  and 
carefully  considering  the  subject  of  recon 
struction,  as  that  was  the  great  question 
now  pending,  and  that  they  must  all  begin 
to  act  in  the  interest  of  peace.  He  again 
expressed  himself  as  thankful  that  Con 
gress  was  not  then  in  session  to  embarrass 
them. 

At  the  adjournment  of  the  meeting  the 
acting  Secretary  of  State  remarked  that 
the  new  British  Minister,  Sir  Frederick 
Bruce,  had  arrived  in  Washington,  and 
asked  the  President  at  what  time  it  would 
be  convenient  for  him  to  receive  him. 

Lincoln  thought  a  moment. 

"To-morrow,  at  two  o'clock,"  he  replied, 
adding  with  a  smile,  "Don't  forget  to  send 
[33] 


2mtr0ht'0  East  Sag 


up  the  speeches  beforehand — I  would  like 
to  look  them  over." 

As  the  members  of  the  Cabinet  filed 
out,22  they  all  remarked  on  the  fine  per 
sonal  appearance  of  the  President,  Stan- 
ton  observing  to  Attorney-General  Speed, 
as  they  went  downstairs,  "Didn't  our  chief 
look  grand  to-day?" 

And,  writing  twenty  years  afterward, 
this  Attorney-General  says:  "I  fondly 
cling  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  per 
sonal  appearance  as  I  saw  him  that  day, 
with  cleanly  shaven  face,  well  brushed 
clothing,  and  neatly  combed  hair  and 
whiskers." 

General  Grant  remained  behind  for  a 
few  moments  to  converse  with  Lincoln, 
the  latter  urging  him  to  go  along  to  Ford's 
that  evening.23  But  the  General  remained 
firm  in  his  refusal.  He  said  that  as  he  and 
Mrs,  Grant  had  made  arrangements  to  go 
[  34  ] 


to  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  to  see  their 
children,  it  would  be  a  great  disappoint 
ment  to  his  wife  to  delay  the  trip. 

The  President  mentioned  how  delighted 
the  people  would  be  to  see  the  General 
at  such  a  public  place,  and  told  him  that 
he  ought  to  stay  and  attend  on  that 
account. 

Grant,  however,  never  had  a  taste  for 
display  of  any  sort  whatever.  At  this 
point  a  note  was  brought  in  from  Mrs. 
Grant,  who  was  desirous  of  leaving  the 
city  on  the  four  o'clock  train,  and  was 
getting  anxious  over  the  General's  con 
tinued  absence.  So  he  decided  finally  that 
he  could  not  accept  the  President's  invi 
tation,  and,  shaking  his  hand,  bade  him 
good-bye.  This  was  between  one  and  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

After  General  Grant  had  left,  Presi 
dent  Lincoln  found  Major  J.  B.  Merwin, 
[  35  ] 


iCtttrnltt'fl  ffiast  lag 


of  Connecticut,  waiting  to  see  him.  The 
Major  had  called  by  appointment  some 
little  time  previously,  and,  finding  the 
President  engaged,  had  determined  to 
wait,  rather  than  leave  the  Executive 
Mansion  and  call  later.24 

As  it  was  already  past  luncheon  time, 
the  President  had  a  lunch  brought  up  to 
them  and  they  dined  together.25 

Major  Merwin  was  an  old  friend  of 
Lincoln;  they  had  stumped  the  state  of 
Illinois  politically  together,  and  the  Major 
had  often  been  entrusted  with  special 
missions  to  the  armies  and  elsewhere  by 
the  President. 

On  this  occasion  he  had  been  called  to 
the  White  House  for  the  purpose  of  car 
rying  a  secret  proposition  to  Horace 
Greeley  and  one  or  two  other  leading 
editors  of  the  country,  in  regard  to  the 
employment  of  colored  troops  in  the  dig- 
[36] 


iag 


ging  of  a  contemplated  Panama  canal. 
Lincoln  at  that  date  realized  the  impor 
tance  of  constructing  such  a  waterway, 
and  he  was  also  greatly  concerned,  now 
that  the  negro  troops  were  soon  to  be  dis 
charged,  as  to  what  should  be  done  with 
them.  There  really  did  not  seem  any 
place  for  them  to  go,  and  those  who  had 
borne  arms  did  not  feel  like  going  back  to 
the  plantations.  He  discussed  the  subject 
at  some  length  with  Merwin. 

His  idea  was  to  interest  public  opinion 
in  the  project,  which  had  been  first  sug 
gested  to  him  by  General  Benjamin  F. 
Butler,  who  had  also  given  him  much 
information  on  the  subject.  He  sought  to 
have  Greeley,  especially,  favor  it  in  his 
paper,  the  New  York  Tribune,  on  account 
of  its  influence  and  wide  circulation.  He 
informed  Merwin  that  he  had  spent  the 
most  of  three  nights  on  the  document 
[37  ] 


Smtrnlu's  ICast  lag 


embodying  his  views,  which  was  to  be 
delivered  to  the  journalists,  and  instructed 
him  that  he  should  go  to  Philadelphia,  see 
some  of  the  editors  there,  and  then  go  on 
to  New  York.  After  Greeley  had  read 
the  plan,  he  was  to  tell  the  President  just 
what  he  thought  of  it. 

Writing,  after  a  lapse  of  forty-five 
years,  Major  Merwin  remembered  the 
President  to  have  been  "in  fine  spirits." 

As  his  visitor  arose  to  leave,  President 
Lincoln  handed  him  the  papers  connected 
with  the  proposition  and  gave  him  his 
final  instructions.  Then,  recalling  their 
campaigning  together  ten  years  before, 
Lincoln  said: 

"Merwin,  we  have  cleared  up  a  colossal 
job.  Slavery  is  abolished.  After  recon 
struction,  the  next  great  question  will  be 
the  overthrow  and  suppression  of  the 
legalized  liquor  traffic,  and  you  know  my 
[  38  ] 


LINCOLN   IN   1864 


The  famous  profile,  one  of  Lincoln's  best-known  photographs, 
taken  by  M.  B.  Brady  at  Washington  in  1864.  It  is  from  Mr. 
Meserve's  collection  (No.  81)  and  is  used  through  his  courtesy. 


Hittttdtt'is  Cast  Sag 


head  and  my  heart,  my  hand  and  my  purse 
will  go  into  this  contest  for  victory.  In 
1842,  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago, 
I  predicted  that  the  day  would  come  when 
there  would  be  neither  a  slave  nor  a 
drunkard  in  the  land.  I  have  lived  to  see 
one  prediction  fulfilled.  I  hope  to  live 
to  see  the  other  realized." 

This  struck  Merwin  as  so  important  a 
statement,  that  he  said : 

"Mr.  Lincoln,  shall  I  publish  this  from 
you?" 

"Yes,  publish  it  as  wide  as  the  daylight 
shines,"  the  President  replied. 

While  President  Lincoln  was  lunching 
with  Merwin,  Edward  D.  Neill,  one  of  his 
private  secretaries,  had  occasion  to  seek 
him  to  procure  his  signature  to  a  paper.28 
Hearing  that  Lincoln  was  at  luncheon, 
the  secretary  began  examining  some  of  the 
papers  on  the  President's  table,  to  see 
[39] 


Sag 


whether  he  could  find  the  desired  commis 
sion.  While  looking  them  over,  Lincoln 
came  into  the  room,  eating  an  apple, 
having  just  bade  Merwin  good-bye. 

Neill  commenced  to  tell  him  for  what 
he  was  looking,  but  as  he  spoke,  noticed 
that  the  President  had  placed  his  hand  on 
the  bell-pull. 

"For  whom  are  you  going  to  ring?" 
asked  the  secretary. 

"Andrew  Johnson,"  Lincoln  responded, 
placing  his  hand  on  NeilFs  coat. 

"Then  I  will  come  in  again,"  said  the 
secretary,  and  as  he  was  leaving  the  room 
the  Vice-President  had  been  ushered  in 
and  Lincoln  advanced  and  took  him  by  the 
hand. 

This   interview   with   Johnson   was   of 

short    duration,    and    dealt    with    future 

action  towards  the  South,  now  that  the 

rebellion  was  practically  over.    The  Vice- 

[40] 


HUtndtt'0  East  Sag 


President  urged  harsher  and  more  venge 
ful  measures  than  Lincoln  would  agree  to. 

After  Johnson  had  left,  the  President 
settled  down  to  his  afternoon  routine 
transaction  of  business,  and  reception  of 
callers. 

He  signed  a  pardon  for  a  soldier  sen 
tenced  to  be  shot  for  desertion,  remarking 
as  he  did  so: 

"Well,  I  think  the  boy  can  do  us  more 
good  above  ground  than  under  ground." 2T 

He  also  approved  an  application  for  the 
discharge  of  a  Confederate  prisoner,  on 
his  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance.27 

"Let  it  be  done,"  he  wrote  on  the 
recommendation  and  then  signed  it. 

A  significant  comment  on  Lincoln  is 
made  by  Gen.  James  Harrison  Wilson28 
who  says  that  one  of  the  great  secrets  of 
Lincoln's  strength  was  that  he  refused  to 
make  any  important  decision  unless  physi- 
[41] 


'fl  3Caet  Hag 


cally  and  mentally  at  his  best,  or  com 
paratively  so.  As  a  result  of  this  practice, 
while  he  sometimes  deferred  matters 
beyond  the  time  when  his  subordinates 
thought  he  should  have  acted  on  them,  he 
safeguarded  his  action  and  accomplished 
more  in  the  end. 

Hon.  John  B.  Henderson,  then  Senator 
from  Missouri,  called  on  the  President  to 
obtain  an  order  from  him  for  the  release 
of  a  Confederate  prisoner  by  the  name  of 
George  Vaughn,  from  the  Senator's  home 
state.29  Some  time  before  this,  Vaughn 
had  been  captured  and  sentenced  to  death 
as  a  spy.  Henderson,  however,  knew  all 
the  details  of  the  case,  and  thought  that 
the  findings  of  the  court  had  been  too 
severe.  On  two  previous  orders  from 
President  Lincoln,  retrials  had  been  held, 
but  the  verdict  remained  as  originally 
given. 

[42] 


Nothing  daunted,  Henderson  had  then 
determined  to  try  to  obtain  an  uncondi 
tional  pardon  from  the  President,  and  it 
was  for  this  purpose  that  he  sought  him 
that  afternoon. 

Calling  the  attention  of  Lincoln  to  the 
fact  that  the  war  was  now  practically  over, 
he  added: 

"Mr.  Lincoln,  his  pardon  should  be 
granted  in  the  interest  of  peace  and 
conciliation." 

"Senator,  I  agree  with  you,"  replied 
the  President,  "go  to  Stanton  and  tell  him 
this  man  must  be  released." 

"I  have  seen  Stanton,  and  he  will  do 
nothing,"  protested  Henderson. 

"See  him  again,"  was  the  reply,  "and 
if  he  will  do  nothing,  come  back  to  me." 

The  Senator  then  left  the  White  House 
and  proceeded  to  the  offices  of  the  War 
Secretary. 

[43] 


Uittnritt'fi  ffiaist  Bag 


Right  in  line  with  this  spirit  of  kindli 
ness  and  good  feeling  is  an  anecdote  hap 
pening  the  same  afternoon,  related  by  the 
Rev.  Joseph  P.  Thompson,  of  New  York 
City,  in  a  sermon  preached  two  weeks 
later.30 

The  Governor  of  Maryland  called  to 
pay  his  respects  to  the  President,  bringing 
along  a  friend.  They  found  him  very 
cheerful  over  the  state  of  the  country. 

At  the  close  of  the  interview,  one  of  the 
visitors  asked  Lincoln  for  a  small  favor 
for  a  friend. 

"Anything,  now,  to  make  the  people 
happy,"  responded  the  President  as  he 
wrote  the  necessary  order. 

Another  caller  was  Major  William  H. 
Anderson,  on  the  staff  of  General  Sheri 
dan.31  The  Major  had  been  sent  from  the 
front  with  despatches  for  the  War  Depart 
ment,  and  had  arrived  in  Washington  the 
[  44  ] 


£Utttihf0  Haul  Sag 


day  before.  As  was  the  custom,  he  had 
been  provided  with  a  duplicate  set  of 
despatches  for  the  President,  and  when  he 
presented  himself  at  the  White  House 
found  the  usual  large  crowd  in  the  main 
reception  room  on  the  first  floor  wait 
ing  for  an  audience.  He  showed  his 
despatches  to  the  usher  on  duty,  and  was 
immediately  shown  upstairs  to  the  Presi 
dent's  office.  As  he  entered  the  room,  he 
noticed  John  Hay,  one  of  Lincoln's  pri 
vate  secretaries,  Secretary  Stanton  and 
several  army  officers  and  civilians.  Presi 
dent  Lincoln  came  quickly  forward  and 
took  both  the  Major's  hands  in  his  own. 

"God  bless  you;  how  are  all  my  boys  in 
the  field?"  he  asked,  for  his  heart  always 
went  out  to  the  men  in  the  ranks  who  were 
bearing  the  brunt  of  the  fighting. 

He  asked  Anderson  if  he  would  remain 
in  the  city  over  night. 

[45] 


Anderson  replied  that  he  would. 

"Be  sure  and  call  here  before  you 
return,"  said  the  President,  and  that 
terminated  the  interview. 

A  lady  who  had  at  one  time  been  a 
servant  in  the  Lincolns'  Springfield  home, 
gained  admittance.32  Since  leaving  the 
Lincoln  household,  she  had  married,  and 
her  husband  subsequently  enlisted  in  the 
army.  She  was  now  in  Washington  try 
ing  to  secure  his  release  from  the  service. 
Of  course,  the  President  remembered  her, 
and  was  glad  to  see  her  again.  He  had 
her  presented  with  a  basket  of  fruit,  and 
also  directed  her  to  call  the  next  day,  when 
he  would  see  that  she  should  obtain  a  pass 
through  the  lines,  and  money  to  buy 
clothes  for  herself  and  children. 

It  must  have  been  a  very  busy  after 
noon  for  President  Lincoln.  L.  E.  Chit- 
tenden,33  his  Register  of  the  Treasury 
[46] 


LINCOLN  IN   1864 

From  an  enlargement  of  the  original  negative  by  M.  B.  Brady. 
Taken  at  Washington  in  1864.  It  is  owned  by  Mr.  Mescrve  and 
is  No.  68  in  his  collection.  He  regards  it  as  one  of  the  finest  of 
his  portraits. 


Utnrnln'0  Ikst  Sag 


tells  us  that  that  afternoon,  intending  to 
leave  Washington,  he  called  at  the  White 
House  to  take  leave  of  the  President,  and 
found  so  many  waiting,  and  the  President 
so  occupied  with  pressing  business,  that  he 
came  away  without  even  sending  in  his 
card. 

However,  the  callers  were  finally 
disposed  of. 

It  was  getting  rather  late  in  the  after 
noon,  but  he  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  had 
determined  to  take  a  drive,  and  the 
carriage  was  ordered.34 

Before  starting,  Mrs.  Lincoln  asked 
him  whether  any  one  should  accompany 
them. 

"No,"  was  the  reply,  "I  prefer  to  ride 
by  ourselves  to-day." 

As  the  President  was  coming  down  the 
stairway,85  he  noticed  a  one-armed  soldier 
standing  below  and  heard  him  say: 
[47] 


Hag 


"I  would  almost  give  my  other  hand  if 
I  could  shake  that  of  Abraham  Lincoln." 

This  soldier  had  arrived  too  late  to  be 
shown  into  the  President's  office,  and 
regretted  that  he  should  not  see  him. 

Lincoln  walked  up  and  grasped  the 
man  by  his  remaining  hand. 

"You  shall  do  that  and  it  shall  cost  you 
nothing,  my  boy,"  he  said.  He  also  asked 
him  his  name  and  regiment,  and  where  he 
had  lost  his  arm,  spoke  pleasantly  to  him 
for  a  few  moments  and  called  him  a  brave 
soldier. 

Then  leaving  him,  President  Lincoln 
started  along  the  corridor,  where  he  hap 
pened  to  notice  two  ladies  standing.36 
Going  up  to  them,  he  shook  hands  and 
inquired  of  them  their  names.  One  of 
them  was  Mrs.  C.  D.  Hess,  wife  of  one 
of  the  managers  of  the  National  theatre, 
and  the  other  was  her  sister. 
[48] 


Sag 


Recognizing  the  name  of  Mrs.  Hess, 
the  President  remarked  that  he  was  very 
sorry  to  have  been  unable  to  accept  the 
invitation  from  the  managers  of  the 
National  to  attend  the  play  there  that 
evening. 

Upon  the  ladies  mentioning  the  fact 
that  the  White  House  conservatory  was 
their  objective  that  afternoon,  the  Presi 
dent  escorted  them  to  it. 

Arriving  there,  he  inquired  of  them 
whether  they  had  seen  his  favorite  lemon 
tree,  and  upon  receiving  a  negative  reply, 
pointed  it  out. 

One  of  the  visitors  remarked  on  the  fact 
of  the  rebellion  being  crushed,  and  asked 
Lincoln  whether  he  was  not  very  happy 
over  the  news. 

"Yes,  madam;  for  the  first  time  since 
this  cruel  war  began,  I  can  see  my  way 
clearly." 

[  49  ] 


Ktandtt'ji  Slant  Sag 


And  the  one  who  has  recorded  this  inci 
dent,  herself  one  of  these  visitors,  adds, 
"such  a  tender  look  was  in  his  deep-set 
eyes  as  he  uttered  these  words." 

Then  picking  a  lemon  for  each  of  the 
ladies  from  his  favorite  tree,  and  request 
ing  the  gardener  to  gather  them  some 
flowers,  the  President  left  them. 

As  he  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  entered  their 
carriage,  he  ordered  the  coachman  to  drive 
in  the  direction  of  the  Soldiers'  Home, 
where  the  Lincoln  family  was  accustomed 
to  spend  the  summer  months. 

The  early  afternoon  was  bright  and 
sunshiny,  a  typical  spring  day,  but 
towards  evening  the  weather  became 
rather  cold  and  raw. 

"Mary,"    said   the   President   as   they 

moved  along,37  "we  have  had  a  hard  time 

of  it  since  we  came  to  Washington,  but 

the  war  is  over,  and,  with  God's  blessing, 

[  50] 


'ii  ffiaat  iatj 


we  may  hope  for  four  years  of  peace  and 
happiness,  and  then  we  will  go  back  to 
Illinois,  and  probably  pass  the  rest  of  our 
lives  in  quiet  there." 

He  then  spoke  of  their  old  Springfield 
home,  recalled  his  early  days  there,  the  lit 
tle  old  cottage,  his  law  office  and  the  court 
room.  He  dwelt  on  his  varied  experi 
ences  while  riding  the  circuit,  and  the 
green  bag  he  used  for  carrying  his  law 
papers. 

"We  have  laid  by,"  he  went  on,  "some 
money,  and,  during  this  term  we  will  try 
to  save  up  more,  but  shall  not  have 
enough  to  support  us.  We  will  go  back  to 
Illinois,  and  I  will  open  a  law-office  at 
Springfield  or  Chicago,  and  practise  law, 
and  at  least  do  enough  to  help  give  us  a 
livelihood." 

However,  he  continued,  he  was  not 
wholly  certain  whether  it  would  be  best  to 
[  51  ] 


'fi  East  Sat? 


fix  his  residence  finally  in  his  old  home  in 
Springfield,  or  remove  to  California,  his 
mind  reverting  to  his  conversation  with 
Coif  ax  in  the  morning. 

Throughout  the  whole  drive  he  seemed 
in  the  best  of  spirits,  and  Mrs.  Lincoln 
commented  on  the  fact. 

"And  well  I  may  feel  so,  Mary,  for  I 
consider  this  day  the  war  has  come  to  a 
close,"  adding,  "we  must  both  be  more 
cheerful  in  the  future;  between  the  war 
and  the  loss  of  our  darling  Willie,  we  have 
been  very  miserable." 38 

As  they  drove  through  the  suburbs  they 
were  greeted  by  the  people  affectionately 
wherever  recognized. 

On  their  return  to  the  White  House, 
late  in  the  afternoon,  as  the  President  was 
leaving  his  carriage,  he  saw  going  across 
the  lawn  towards  the  Treasury  building, 
two  of  his  old  Illinois  friends,  Governor 
[  52  ] 


Smtr0Itt'0  ICaat  JSag 


Richard  Oglesby  and  General  Isham  N. 
Haynie.39  These  gentlemen  had  called  to 
see  Lincoln,  and,  finding  him  out,  had 
started  to  leave  the  grounds. 

"Come  back,  boys,  come  back,"  shouted 
the  President,  waving  his  arms. 

Recognizing  the  voice,  the  party  turned 
and  came  back,  joining  Lincoln  on  the 
portico. 

Telling  them  to  wait  a  few  moments  in 
the  reception  room,  the  President  went 
upstairs  to  his  office  to  brush  the  effects 
of  his  drive  from  his  clothing. 

As  he  stepped  into  a  small  side  closet, 
connected  with  the  office,  to  wash  his 
hands,  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  War, 
Charles  A.  Dana,  entered  the  room.40 
Seeing  no  one  he  turned  to  go,  when  the 
President,  spying  him,  called  out: 

"Hello,  Dana.  What  is  it?  What's 
up?" 

[  53] 


Kitindti'0  East  Sag 


"Well,  sir,"  was  the  reply,  "here  is  a 
despatch  from  the  Provost  Marshal  of 
Portland,  who  reports  that  Jacob  Thomp 
son  is  to  be  in  that  town  to-night,  and 
inquires  what  orders  we  have  to  give." 

"What  does  Stanton  say?"  Lincoln 
asked. 

"He  says  arrest  him,  but  that  I  should 
refer  the  question  to  you." 

"Well,"  answered  Lincoln  slowly,  wip 
ing  his  hands,  "no;  I  rather  guess  not. 
When  you  have  got  an  elephant  by  the 
hind  leg,  and  he  is  trying  to  run  away, 
it's  best  to  let  him  run." 

And  with  this  direction  Dana  returned 
to  his  chief. 

The  President  rejoining  his  visitors, 
they  all  went  up  to  his  office,  where  a 
pleasant  hour  was  spent  together,  laugh 
ing  and  talking  and  telling  stories. 

During  the  conversation  Lincoln 
[  54  ] 


A  StEiiL  ENGRAVING  OF  LINCOLN 

From  a  steel  engraving  used  as  the  frontispiece  to  "Reminis 
cences  of  Abraham  Lincoln  by  Distinguished  Men  of  His  Time," 
edited  by  Allen  T.  Rice  and  published  in  1886  by  the  North 
American  Publishing  Company. 


informed  his  friends  that  he  intended 
going  to  Ford's  that  evening,  and  asked 
them  if  they  would  accompany  him.  His 
visitors,  however,  had  made  other  arrange 
ments  for  the  evening  and  so  had  to 
decline. 

Finally,  Lincoln  got  out  a  book  he  had 
but  recently  secured,  the  latest  work  from 
the  pen  of  "Petroleum  V.  Nasby."  He 
was  always  interested  in  this  particular 
kind  of  humorous  literature  as  a  means  of 
relaxation,  and  on  this  occasion  he  read 
four  entire  chapters  of  the  work  to  his 
auditors,  laughing  heartily  as  something 
would  strike  him  as  being  especially  funny. 

While  thus  engaged,  the  President  was 
informed  several  times  that  the  evening 
meal  was  ready.  Each  time  he  promised 
to  go,  but  would  continue  his  reading. 
Finally  the  doorkeeper  called  Oglesby 
aside,  and  explained  that  as  the  President 
[55] 


Emroln's  Hast  Sag 


was  going  to  the  theatre  that  evening,  it 
was  necessary  for  him  to  dine  at  that  time, 
so  the  visitors  departed. 

Lincoln  dined  alone  with  his  family  that 
evening.41 

Immediately  following  dinner,  Noah 
Brooks,  then  a  newspaper  correspondent 
and  one  of  the  President's  intimate  friends, 
called  by  appointment.42 

Lincoln  informed  him  that  he  "had  had 
a  notion"  of  sending  for  him  to  go  to  the 
theatre  with  himself  and  Mrs.  Lincoln 
that  evening,  but  that  Mrs.  Lincoln  had 
already  made  up  a  party  to  take  the  place 
of  General  and  Mrs.  Grant,  who  had 
somewhat  unexpectedly  left  the  city  for 
Burlington,  New  Jersey. 

He  also  told  Brooks  that  the  party  had 
been  originally  planned  for  the  purpose 
of  taking  the  Grants  to  see  "Our  Ameri 
can  Cousin"  at  Ford's  theatre,  and  that 
[  56] 


Ewrnin's  East  Sag 


when  Grant  had  decided  not  to  stay,  he 
"felt  inclined  to  give  up  the  whole  thing." 

But,  he  added,  as  it  had  been  announced 
in  the  morning  papers  that  this  distin 
guished  party  would  go  to  the  theatre 
that  evening,  Mrs.  Lincoln  had  insisted 
that  they  ought  to  go,  in  order  that  the 
expectant  public  should  not  be  wholly 
disappointed. 

After  the  correspondent  had  taken  his 
leave,  the  President  wished  to  make  a  hur 
ried  trip  to  the  War  Department.  So, 
calling  the  attendant  or  guard  whose  duty 
it  was  to  be  near  the  President  at  such 
times,  he  started  out.  This  evening  his 
attendant  happened  to  be  William  H. 
Crook,  a  man  but  recently  living  in 
Washington,  D.  C.43 

As  they  walked  along,  the  guard  noticed 
that  Lincoln  seemed  unsually  depressed 
and  his  step  slower  than  usual.  As  we 
[  57  ] 


Utttroln's  ICast  Bay 


know  him  to  have  been  in  quite  a  different 
mood  all  day,  up  to  this  time,  this 
depression,  as  Colonel  Crook  says,  must 
have  been  due  to  one  of  the  sudden  changes 
of  mood  to  which  President  Lincoln  was 
ever  subject. 

In  crossing  over  to  the  War  building, 
they  passed  a  crowd  of  drunken  men. 

This  suggesting  a  possibility  to  the 
President,  he  said: 

"  Crook,  do  you  know,  I  believe  there 
are  men  who  want  to  take  my  life?"  add 
ing  after  a  pause,  half  to  himself,  "and  it 
is  possible  they  will  do  it." 

"Why  do  you  think  so,  Mr.  President?" 
asked  the  dismayed  guard. 

"Other  men  have  been  assassinated," 
was  the  reply. 

"I  hope  you  are  mistaken,  Mr.  Presi 
dent,"  said  the  guard,  unable  to  say 
anything  else. 

C  58  ] 


JJitttuItt'0  SIa0i  iag 


After  walking  a  few  paces  in  silence, 
Lincoln  spoke  in  a  more  ordinary  tone: 

"I  have  perfect  confidence  in  those 
around  me,  in  every  one  of  you  men.  I 
know  no  one  could  do  it  and  escape  alive. 
But  if  it  is  to  be  done,  it  is  impossible  to 
prevent  it." 

At  this  point  they  arrived  at  the  War 
Department,  and  the  President  went  in 
for  a  short  conference  with  the  Secretary. 

Of  course,  Stanton  had  something  to 
say  about  the  President's  order  permitting 
Jacob  Thompson  to  escape.44 

"By  permitting  him  to  escape  the  pen 
alties  of  treason,  you  sanction  it,"  he  said. 

"Well,"  replied  Lincoln,  "that  puts  me 

in  mind  of  a  little  story.     There  was  an 

Irish  soldier  last  summer  who  stopped  at  a 

chemist's,  where  he  saw  a  soda-fountain. 

'  'Misther  Doctor/  he  said,  'give  me, 

please,  a  glass  ov  soda-wather — and  if  ye 

[  59  ] 


Hittoilti'0  East  Sag 


can  put  a  few  drops  of  Whiskey  in  unbe 
known  to  anyone,  I'll  be  obleeged  till 
yees.' 

"Now,"  the  President  continued,  "if 
Jake  Thompson  is  permitted  to  go  away 
unbeknown  to  anyone,  where's  the  harm? 
Don't  have  him  arrested." 

They  both  spoke  briefly  and  feelingly  of 
the  fact  that  at  last  the  end  of  bloody 
fratricidal  strife  was  in  sight. 

At  that  moment  Stanton  realized,  as 
never  before,  his  deep  affection  for  the 
President.  "As  they  exchanged  con 
gratulations,  Lincoln  from  his  greater 
height,  dropped  his  long  arm  upon  Stan- 
ton's  shoulders,  and  a  hearty  embrace 
terminated  their  rejoicings  over  the  close 
of  the  mighty  struggle."45 

When  the  President  came  out  of  the 
Secretary's  office,  Crook  noticed  that  every 
trace  of  his  recent  depression  was  gone. 
[  60  ] 


'H  East 


On  the  way  back  he  said  that  Mrs.  Lin 
coln  and  he,  with  a  party,  were  going  to 
the  theatre  to  see  "Our  American  Cousin," 
that  evening. 

"It  has  been  advertised  that  we  will  be 
there,  and  I  cannot  disappoint  the  peo 
ple,"  he  said.  "Otherwise  I  would  not  go. 
I  do  not  care  to  go  now." 

For  some  unaccountable  reason,  now 
that  the  time  was  approaching  for  his 
attendance  upon  the  performance  at 
Ford's,  President  Lincoln  seemed  reluc 
tant  to  go.  Just  a  short  time  before  he  had 
intimated  this  to  his  friend  Brooks. 
Later,  others  of  his  friends  were  to  notice 
this. 

Reaching  the  Executive  Mansion,  the 
President  climbed  the  steps,  while  the 
guard  turned  towards  his  residence  out  on 
"Rodbird's  Hill." 

"Good-bye,  Crook,"  Lincoln  called, 
[  61  ] 


'a  East  iatj 


and  entering  found  Speaker  Colfax  and 
Hon.  George  Ashmun,  of  Massachusetts, 
waiting  for  him  in  the  Red  Room.46  Ash 
mun  had  been  chairman  of  the  Republi 
can  National  Convention  of  1860  which 
had  nominated  Lincoln  for  the  Presi 
dency.  The  Speaker  had  come  to  say  fare 
well  to  the  President,  as  he  intended  leav 
ing  on  his  Pacific  trip  the  next  morn 
ing. 

The  party  proceeded  to  the  library  for 
conference.  President  Lincoln  was  now 
in  the  best  of  spirits.  To  his  auditors  he 
spoke  of  his  recent  visit  to  the  Confederate 
capital. 

"Was  it  not,"  Ashmun  asked,  "rather 
imprudent  for  you  to  expose  yourself  in 
Richmond?  We  were  much  concerned 
for  your  safety." 

"I  would  have  been  alarmed  myself  if 
any  other  person  had  been  President  and 
[62] 


THE  ST.  GAUDENS   STATUE  OF   LINCOLN 

From    a    photograph    of    the    statue    in    Lincoln    Park,    Chicago, 
made  by  Atigustns  St.  Gaudens  and  unveiled  in  1887. 


Ctttraht's  East  Sat? 


gone  there,  but  I  did  not  find  any  danger 
whatever,"  Lincoln  replied. 

Then  turning  to  Speaker  Colfax  he 
said: 

"Sumner  has  the  'gavel'  of  the  Confed 
erate  Congress,  which  he  got  at  Richmond, 
and  intended  to  give  it  to  the  Secretary  of 
War,  but  I  insisted  he  must  give  it  to  you, 
and  you  tell  him  from  me  to  hand  it  over." 

Ashmun  then  alluded  to  the  "gavel" 
used  in  the  convention  of  1860,  and  added 
that  he  had  preserved  it  as  a  valuable 
memento.  He  then  referred  to  a  matter 
of  business  connected  with  a  cotton  claim, 
preferred  by  a  client  of  his,  and  said  that 
he  desired  to  have  a  commission  appointed 
to  examine  and  decide  upon  the  merits  of 
the  case. 

"I  have  done  with  commissions,"  Lin 
coln  warmly  replied,  "I  believe  they  are 
contrivances  to  cheat  the  Government  out 
[63] 


of  every  pound  of  cotton  they  can  lay 
their  hands  on." 

Ashmun' s  face  flushed,  and  he  said  that 
he  hoped  the  President  meant  no  personal 
imputation. 

Lincoln  saw  that  he  had  unwittingly 
wounded  his  friend. 

"You  did  not  understand  me,  Ashmun," 
he  instantly  replied,  "I  did  not  mean  what 
you  inferred.  I  take  it  back,"  adding 
after  a  moment  of  silence,  "I  apologize  to 
you,  Ashmun." 

Subsequently  the  President  excused 
himself  to  get  his  hat  and  coat,  and  stepped 
into  his  office,  where  a  moment  later  Sena 
tor  Henderson,  who  had  somehow  man 
aged  to  elude  the  usher,  found  him.47 

Henderson,  after  leaving  Lincoln  that 

afternoon,  had  sought  out   Stanton  and 

informed  him  of  the  President's  request 

regarding   the   case   of   George  Vaughn. 

[  64] 


But  the  Secretary  became  violently  angry 
and  would  not  comply  with  it. 

The  Senator  noting  that  President  Lin 
coln  was  ready  for  the  theatre,  quickly 
narrated  the  results  of  the  meeting.  With 
out  a  word  Lincoln  turned  to  his  desk  and 
wrote  a  few  lines  on  a  sheet  of  paper. 

"I  think  that  will  have  precedence  over 
Stanton,"  he  remarked,  handing  the  order 
to  Henderson,  who  thereupon  left  him. 

Before  leaving  the  office,  the  President 
picked  up  a  commission  lying  on  his  desk, 
reappointing  Alvin  Saunders  Governor  of 
the  territory  of  Nebraska.48 

Penning  the  following  lines,  "rather  a 
lengthy  commission,  bestowing  upon  Mr. 
Alvin  Saunders  the  official  authority  of 
Governor  of  the  Territory  of  Nebraska," 
below  the  document,  he  then  signed  it,  and 
left  it  on  his  desk  unfolded. 

On  his  way  back  to  the  library  the 
C  65] 


Say 


President  stopped  at  Robert's  room. 
Thinking  that  possibly  by  this  time  Rob- 
ert  was  rested  up,  and  had  decided  to 
go  along  to  the  theatre  with  them,  he 
said:49 

"We're  going  to  the  theatre,  Bob,  don't 
you  want  to  go?" 

But  as  the  young  Captain  had  not  slept 
in  bed  for  nearly  two  weeks,  he  told  his 
father  that  if  he  did  not  care,  he  would 
rather  stay  at  home  and  "turn  in  early." 

Of  course  his  father,  who  was  always 
an  indulgent  parent,  told  him  to  do  as  he 
wished,  and  again  started  for  the  library, 
bidding  his  son  a  cheery  "good-night." 

Re-engaging  momentarily  in  conversa 
tion  with  Colfax  and  Ashmun,  the  cards  of 
Senator  William  M.  Stewart,  of  Nevada, 
and  Judge  Niles  Searles,  of  New  York, 
were  brought  in.  The  Senator  knew  the 
President  very  well,  and  had  called  to 
[  66  ] 


Stttmltt'0  East  iag 


introduce  his  friend,  the  Judge,   to  the 
chief  executive,  whom  he  had  never  met.50 

Lincoln  picked  up  a  card  and  wrote  the 
following,  which  he  directed  the  usher  to 
take  down  to  the  callers: 

"I  am  engaged  to  go  to  the  theatre  with 
Mrs.  Lincoln.  It  is  the  kind  of  an 
engagement  I  never  break.  Come  with 
your  friend  to-morrow  at  ten,  and  I  shall 
be  glad  to  see  you.  A.  LINCOLN/' 

As  it  was  then  half  an  hour  later  than 
the  time  he  had  intended  to  start  for  the 
theatre,  the  President  prepared  to  depart, 
although  he  indeed  mentioned  something 
about  staying  a  half  hour  longer.  Both  of 
his  visitors  afterwards  noted  that  he 
seemed  rather  loth  to  leave  the  White 
House  that  evening. 

"You  will  accompany  Mrs.  Lincoln  and 
me  to  the  theatre,  I  hope?"  he  asked  of 
Coif  ax. 

[  67  ] 


'fs  ffiasf  Smj 


But  the  Speaker  pleaded  other  engage 
ments,  recalling  his  trip  the  next  morning. 

Ashmun,  however,  was  disappointed 
that  the  interview  had  been  cut  so  short, 
and  so  expressed  himself. 

The  President  then  made  an  engage 
ment  with  him  for  nine  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  that 
was  an  hour  earlier  than  the  stated  time 
for  receiving  visitors,  noted  the  following 
on  a  card  in  order  that  the  statesman 
might  have  no  trouble  in  being  admitted: 

"Allow  Mr.  Ashmun  and  friend  to  come 
in  at  9  A.M.  to-morrow.  A.  LINCOLN." 

The  friend  to  be  admitted  was  Judge 
C.  P.  Daly,  of  New  York.51 

This  card  the  President  then  handed  to 
Ashmun. 

As  they  left  the  library,  another  inter 
ruption  occurred.  Two  gentlemen  who 
desired  to  go  to  Richmond  importuned  the 
[  68  ] 


Smiroln'a  3Ca0t  Hag 


President  to  give  them  a  pass  in  order  to 
get  through.52  Returning,  Lincoln  picked 
up  another  card  and  made  this  notation 
thereon: 

"No  pass  is  necessary  now  to  authorize 
any  one  to  go  to  and  return  from  Peters 
burg  &  Richmond — People  go  and  return 
just  as  they  did  before  the  war. 

"A.  LINCOLN." 

Handing  this  to  his  callers,  the  Presi 
dent  again  started  for  his  carriage.  Mrs. 
Lincoln  having  joined  them  a  short  time 
before,  the  party  went  downstairs,  Mrs. 
Lincoln  taking  the  arm  of  Mr.  Ashmun, 
while  the  President  and  Speaker  walked 
together. 

When  they  reached  the  portico,  Lincoln 
again  referred  to  the  Speaker's  trip. 

"Colfax,"  he  said,  "don't  forget  to  tell 
the  people  of  the  mining  regions  what 
[69] 


Itttroltf  0  ffiaflt  Bag 


I  told  you  this  morning  about  the 
development  when  peace  comes." 

Then,  happening  to  notice  Senator 
Stewart  and  his  friend  standing  on  the 
stone  flagging,  he  walked  over  and 
extended  his  hand.  The  Senator  intro 
duced  Judge  Searles  to  him,  and  the  Pres 
ident,  reiterating  the  statement  on  his  card 
that  he  would  be  glad  to  see  them  the 
following  morning,  bade  them  good-night. 

As  he  stepped  into  the  carriage,  he  saw 
his  friend,  Hon.  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  then  a 
member  of  Congress,  approaching.53 

"Excuse  me  now,"  he  remarked,  "I  am 
going  to  the  theatre.  Come  and  see  me  in 
the  morning." 

He  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  seated  themselves 

in  the  carriage.     He  ordered  the  driver  to 

drive  around  to  the  residence  of  Senator 

Harris,  at  the  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  H 

[70] 


Streets,  for  Major  Rathbone  and  Miss 
Harris,  the  other  members  of  the  party. 

"I  will  telegraph  you,  Colfax,  at  San 
Francisco,"  called  back  the  President  as 
the  carriage  rolled  away. 

What  followed  is  a  matter  of  history. 


171] 


Notes 

1.  SEWARD.      Note   to   Frederick   W.    Seward, 

acting  Secretary  of  State: 

"Please  call  a  Cabinet  meeting  at  eleven 
o'clock  to-day.  General  Grant  will  be 
with  us. 

"A.  LINCOLN." 

2.  WORKS  xi,  94.    Note  to  General  U.  S.  Grant : 

"LIEUTENANT-GENERAL  GRANT  : 

"Please  call  at  11  A.M.  to-day  instead 
of  9  as  agreed  last  evening. 

"A.  LINCOLN." 

3.  WORKS  xi,  94;  WRITINGS  vii,  371.     Letter 

to  Gen.  Van  Alen: 
"My  DEAR  SIR: 

"I  intend  to  adopt  the  advice  of  my 
friends  and  use  due  precaution.  ...  I 
thank  you  for  the  assurance  you  give 
me  that  I  shall  be  supported  by  con 
servative  men  like  yourself,  in  the  efforts 
I  may  make  to  restore  the  Union,  so  as 
to  make  it,  to  use  your  language,  a  Union 
of  hearts  and  hands  as  well  as  of  states. 
"Yours  truly, 

"A.  LINCOLN." 

[75] 


ICittroht'H  East  Bag 


The  fact  is  self-evident  from  Lincoln's 
notes  to  Seward  and  Grant  that  they 
must  have  been  written  early  in  the 
morning.  The  author  has  chosen  this 
also  as  the  time  he  in  all  probability 
penned  his  reply  to  General  Van  Alen, 
as  later  in  the  day  he  would  hardly 
have  had  the  time  to  do  so.  We  infer 
from  Chittenden,  240-241,  and  else 
where,  that  during  the  time  the  President 
was  in  his  office  in  the  afternoon,  he  was 
so  besieged  with  callers  that  it  would 
have  been  impossible  for  him  to  have 
attended  to  correspondence.  Thayer, 
435,  also  gives  the  morning  as  the  time 
this  letter  was  written. 

4.  See   TARBELL   ii,   233;   LATJGHUN,   68-69; 

ARNOLD,  429,  for  accounts  of  breakfast 
period. 

5.  KECKLEY,     137-138.       Mrs.     Keckley    was 

modiste  in  the  White  House  at  this  time, 
and  present  at  the  incident. 

6.  New  York  American. 

7.  CROSBY,  374-375. 

8.  WRITINGS    vii,    370-371;    OLDROYD,    3-4; 

RAYMOND,  694. 

9.  DRAPER.     Related  to  A.  S.  Draper  by  Gen 

eral  Cresswell. 

10.  YATES,  11. 

[76] 


Hinroltt'a  East 


11.  CROSBY,  375;  SHEA,  59;  and  MORRIS,  19. 

12.  IDEM. 

13.  See  LAUGHLIN,   69-71;  and  BATES,  366- 

368,  for  accounts  of  his  morning  visit 
to  the  War  Department.  Bates  was  an 
eye-witness. 

14.  Moss;   LAUGHLIN,  73;  MUDGE,  303-304; 

GLIMPSES,  48. 

15.  REED. 

16.  STEVENS,  72. 

17.  Moss. 

18.  LAUGHLIN,  74. 

19.  For  detailed  accounts  of  Cabinet  meeting, 

see  SEWARD  and  WELLES.  Many  others 
have  shorter  accounts.  Both  Secretaries 
Seward  and  Welles  being  present,  render 
their  descriptions  invaluable. 

20.  Secretary  Stanton  to  General  Thomas  M. 

Vincent  in  BENJAMIN,  84-85. 

21.  Welles  has   recorded  these  remarks  in  the 

third  person;  the  author  transposes 
them  to  the  first. 

22.  Attorney-General  Speed  in  BARRETT  ii,  356. 

23.  PORTER,  891-892. 

24.  For  Merwin  interview,  the  author  has  col 

lated  the  accounts  of  CRISPIN,  30-31 ; 
WHITE;  HOBSON,  61;  DUNN;  National 
Prohibitionist ;  Omaha  Issue.  Also  com- 

[77] 


Eutr0ht'js  Hast  Bag 


munications  from  Major  Merwin  Janu 
ary  3,  and  February  19,  1912. 
25.  Major  Merwin  to  the  author,  February  19, 


26.  NEILL  in  GLIMPSES,  47,  50 ;  BROWNE,  703- 

704. 

27.  BROWNE,  704-705. 

28.  General    James    Harrison    Wilson    is    the 

oldest  general  of  the  Civil  War  living  in 
1922.  He  communicated  this  comment 
to  Mr.  Robert  Bruce,  a  Lincoln  student, 
in  1921. 

29.  PRATT,     211-212;     SUCCESS;     WILLIAMS, 

200-201. 

30.  THOMPSON,  18. 

31.  Major  Anderson  to  the  author,  March  24, 

1921. 

32.  HERNDON  ii,  138. 

33.  CHITTENDEN,  240-241. 

34.  ARNOLD,     429-430;     MUDGE,     302-303; 

BROOKS'  LIFE,  455;  CARPENTER,  293; 
NICOLAY  and  HAY  x,  285-286 ;  COFFIN, 
514 ;  best  accounts  of  President's  drive. 

35.  L.  E.  CHITTENDEN  in  TRIBUTES,  148. 

36.  Moss. 

37.  Conversation  as  recalled  by  Mrs.  Lincoln, 

and  related  to  Hon.  Isaac  N.  Arnold; 
see  ARNOLD,  429-430. 

[78] 


Sag 


38.  "The  last  day  he  lived  was   the  happiest 

of  his  life."  Mrs.  Lincoln  to  Rev.  Dr. 
Miner.  REED  LECTURE,  343. 

39.  TARBELL  ii,  235 ;  HAYNIE. 

40.  DANA  in  RICE,  375-376 ;  DANA,  67-70. 

41.  Communicated  to  the  author  by  Col.  Wil 

liam  H.  Crook,  personal  attendant  and 
body-guard  of  the  President  in  1865, 
January  24,  1912. 

42.  BROOKS'  WASHINGTON,  257-258. 

43.  GERRY;  CROOK;  New  York  World.    In  the 

communication  above  referred  to,  Col. 
Crook  stated  that  it  was  before  dinner 
that  he  accompanied  President  Lincoln 
to  the  War  Department,  but  in  this 
respect  his  memory  is  evidently  at  fault. 
The  article  in  the  Century  Magazine  for 
April  1896  (see  Haynie)  contains  ex 
cerpts  from  a  letter  written  by  General 
Haynie,  who,  with  Governor  Oglesby, 
was  entertained  by  Lincoln  after  his 
drive,  and  in  his  account  of  their  call  in 
the  President's  office,  mentions  that 
"he  (Lincoln)  read  four  chapters  of 
Petroleum  V.  Nasby's  book  (recently 
published)  to  us,  and  continued  reading 
until  he  was  called  to  dinner  at  about 
six  o'clock  when  we  left  him."  This 
letter  of  General  Haynie's  was  written 
April  14,  1865,  shortly  after  his  call, 

[  79  ] 


'js  Haat 


and  before  the  news  of  the  assassination 
reached  him,  and  may  be  presumed  to  be 
correct. 

44.  LELAND,  419. 

45.  Stanton  to  James  B.  Fry,  in  RICE,  404. 

46.  For  the  evening  interview  of  Colfax  and 

Ashmun,  see  COFFIN,  515 ;  CARPENTER, 
285-286 ;  SHEA,  60-61 ;  BROWNE,  705 ; 
CROSBY,  375-377. 

47.  PRATT,  213 ;  SUCCESS  ;  WILLIAMS,  201-202. 

48.  McCLURE,  416. 

49.  Robert   T.   Lincoln   to   Miss   Laughlin,   in 

LATJGHLIN,  76. 

50.  STEWART;  Philadelphia  Public  Ledger. 

51.  HOLLAND,  518,  noite. 

52.  To  the   author,   communication  of  O.   H. 

Oldroyd,  September  16,  1920.  Capt. 
Oldroyd  is  custodian  of  the  Lincoln 
Museum  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  the 
house  in  which  Lincoln  died,  and  has  the 
original  pass  in  his  possession. 

53.  ARNOLD,  431. 


[80] 


Qtarmtfam  0 

Arrqitrit 


(fomtimt 
(Enmmottlg  Ar 

In  the  compilation  of  the  foregoing 
article,  the  author  ran  across  much  mat 
ter  of  an  erroneous  nature,  which  has  crept 
into  accepted  biographies,  and  other  pub 
lications  dealing  with  Lincoln's  last  day 
upon  earth. 

One  of  these  stories,  whicK  has  probably 
attained  wider  publicity  than  any  other, 
is  the  so-called  "Last  Story,"  which  the 
President  is  supposed  to  have  related  to 
Ward  Hill  Lamon,  Marshal  of  the  Dis 
trict  of  Columbia,  and  a  warm  personal 
friend  of  Lincoln's. 

We  first  find  this  in  Carpenter's  "Six 
Months  at  the  White  House,"  which 
[  83  ] 


Ctomtum  of  Ctommotilg 


appeared  in  1866,  and  it  persists  to  the 
present  day.  At  times  it  has  gone  the 
rounds  of  the  press,  presumably  quoted 
on  the  authority  of  Thomas  Pendel,  who 
was  front  door-keeper  in  the  White  House 
at  the  time.  But  in  Pendel's  "Thirty-six 
Years  in  the  White  House,"  the  Neale 
Publishing  Company,  Washington,  D.  C., 
1902,  we  do  not  find  this  anecdote, 
although  he  gives  an  account  of  that  last 
evening,  just  previous  to  the  President 
and  Mrs.  Lincoln  leaving  for  the  theatre. 
It  is  to  be  found  in  "The  True  Abraham 
Lincoln,"  by  William  Eleroy  Curtis,  J.  B. 
Lippincott  Company,  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
1907,  pages  310-311.  Also  in  "Anec 
dotes  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Lincoln's 
Stories,"  edited  by  J.  B.  McClure, 
Rhodes  &  McClure,  Chicago,  111., 
1879,  page  182,  and  his  later  work, 
"Abraham  Lincoln's  Stories  and 
[  84] 


Einr0hTis  Hast  Sag 


Speeches,"  edited  by  J.  B.  McClure, 
A.M.,  Rhodes  &  McClure  Publishing 
Company,  Chicago,  111.,  1896,  page  279. 
McClure  seems  to  have  lifted  his  account 
bodily  from  Carpenter. 

The  story  as  given  by  Carpenter  is  as 
follows  (pages  284-285)  : 

The  last  story  told  by  Mr.  Lincoln  was  drawn 
out  by  a  circumstance  which  occurred  just 
before  the  interview  with  Messrs.  Colfax  and 
Ashmun,  on  the  evening  of  the  assassination. 

Marshal  Lamon,  of  Washington,  had  called 
upon  him  with  an  application  for  the  pardon 
of  a  soldier.  After  a  brief  hearing  the  President 
took  the  application,  and  when  about  to  write 
his  name  upon  the  back  of  it,  he  looked  up  and 
said:  "Lamon,  have  you  ever  heard  how  the 
Patagonians  eat  oysters?  They  open  them 
and  throw  the  shells  out  of  the  window  until 
the  pile  gets  higher  than  the  house,  and  then 
they  move;"  adding:  "I  feel  to-day  like  com 
mencing  a  new  pile  of  pardons,  and  I  may  as 
well  begin  it  just  here." 

[  85] 


flformtum  gf  Ctomimmlg  Art gpteb  fttartea 

This  is  proven  false  from  the  fact  that 
at  this  time,  Marshal  Lamon  was  not  in 
Washington,  but  in  Richmond,  Va.,  where 
he  had  gone  two  days  before.  In  "Recol 
lections  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  1847-1865," 
by  Ward  Hill  Lamon,  edited  by  Dorothy 
Lamon,  A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co.,  Chicago, 
111.,  1895,  on  pages  274-275,  the  following 
excerpt  is  found: 

When  the  dreadful  tragedy  occurred,  I  was 
out  of  the  city,  having  gone  to  Richmond  two 
days  before  on  business  for  Mr.  Lincoln  con 
nected  with  the  call  of  a  convention  for  recon 
struction,  about  which  there  had  arisen  some 
complications.  I  have  preserved  the  pass  Mr. 
Lincoln  gave  me  to  go  through  to  Richmond,  of 
which  the  following  is  a  facsimile : 

"Allow  the  bearer,  W.  H.  Lamon  &  friend, 
with  ordinary  baggage  to  pass  from  Washing 
ton  to  Richmond  and  return. 

"A.  LINCOLN." 

This  order  as  stated  appears  in  fac- 
[  86  ] 


Etttniltt'fi  East  lag 


simile  form,  and  there  is  no  doubt  as  to  its 
authenticity. 

In  Francis  F.  Browne's  "E very-Day 
Life,"  edition  of  1886,  in  speaking  of  the 
events  of  that  last  morning,  page  702,  he 
says: 

Mr.  Lincoln  took  a  short  drive  with  General 
Grant,  who  had  just  come  to  the  city  to  consult 
with  him  regarding  the  disbandment  of  the 
army  and  the  parole  of  rebel  prisoners.  The 
people  were  wild  with  enthusiasm,  and  wherever 
the  President  and  General  Grant  appeared  they 
were  greeted  with  cheers,  the  clapping  of  hands, 
waving  of  handkerchiefs,  and  every  possible 
demonstration  of  delight. 

This  is  repeated  in  his  revised  edition 
of  1913,  published  by  Browne  &  Howell 
Company,  Chicago,  111.,  page  583. 

Mr.  Charles  Wallace  French  in  his 
"Abraham  Lincoln  the  Librator.  A 
Biographical  Sketch,"  Funk  &  Wagnalls 
[87] 


(Eormtum  nf  dnmmottlg  Arrcpteft 

Company,  New  York,  1891,  pages  332- 
333,  makes  practically  the  same  statement. 

There  is  no  authority  for  any  such 
account.  The  truth  of  the  matter  is  that 
General  Grant  arrived  in  Washington  on 
the  morning  of  the  13th.  During  the  day 
he  took  a  drive  through  the  city  with  Mrs. 
Lincoln,  and  was  wildly  acclaimed  wher 
ever  recognized.  He  took  no  drive  either 
that  day  or  the  next  with  the  President. 
These  facts  we  gather  from  an  article  on 
"Lincoln  and  Grant,"  by  General  Horace 
Porter  in  the  Century  Magazine  for  Octo 
ber,  1885.  Porter  certainly  knew,  for  he 
was  on  the  staff  of  General  Grant. 

Nicolay  and  Hay,  in  their  monumental 
work  in  ten  volumes,  also  make  the  same 
misstatement  as  to  General  Grant  arriv 
ing  in  Washington  the  morning  of  the 
14th,  although  they  make  no  mention  of  a 
"drive"  (volume  ten,  page  281).  The 
[  88  ] 


Sltttroln'a  iCaat  Sag 


date  of  the  arrival  of  the  General  as  being 
the  13th,  is  further  corroborated  by  the 
note  which  President  Lincoln  sent  to  him 
the  morning  of  the  14th. 


[89] 


A  Stbltagrajrljg  0f  Autfjnrttiw 
tmtlj  Abbrctriatuma  traeln  in 


A    BIBLIOGRAPHY    OF    AUTHORITIES 

WITH   ABBREVIATIONS    USED 

IN    NOTES 

ARNOLD:  The  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  By 
Isaac  N.  Arnold.  Ninth  edition.  Chicago: 
A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co.  1901. 

BARRETT:  Abraham  Lincoln  and  His  Presidency. 
By  Joseph  H.  Barrett,  LL.D.  Two  volumes. 
Cincinnati:  The  Robert  Clarke  Co.  1904. 

BATES:  Lincoln  in  the  Telegraph  Office.  By 
David  Homer  Bates.  New  York:  The 
Century  Co.  1907. 

BENJAMIN:  Washington  During  War  Time.  A 
Series  of  Papers  Showing  the  Military,  Politi 
cal,  and  Social  Phases  During  1861  to  1865. 
Collected  and  edited  by  Marcus  Benjamin. 
Washington,  D.  C.:  The  National  Tribune 
Co.  1902  (?) 

BROOKS'  LIFE:  Abraham  Lincoln  and  the  Down 
fall  of  American  Slavery.  By  Noah  Brooks. 
New  York  and  London:  G.  P.  Putnam's 
Sons.  1908. 

BROOKS'  WASHINGTON:  Washington  in  Lincoln's 
Time.  By  Noah  Brooks.  New  Yoik.:  The 
Century  Co.  1896. 

[93  ] 


Ctttraht'fi  Cost 


BROWNE:  The  E  very-Day  Life  of  Abraham  Lin 
coln.  Prepared  and  Arranged  by  Francis  F. 
Browne.  New  York  and  St.  Louis:  N.  D. 
Thompson  Publishing  Co.  1886. 

CARPENTER  :  Six  Months  at  the  White  House  with 
Abraham  Lincoln.  The  Story  of  a  Picture. 
By  F.  B.  Carpenter.  New  York:  Kurd  & 
Houghton.  1867. 

CHITTENDEN:  Personal  Reminiscences,  1840-1890. 
Including  Some  Not  Hitherto  Published 
Relating  to  Lincoln  and  the  War.  By  L.  E. 
Chittenden.  New  York:  Richmond,  Croscup 
&  Co.  1893. 

COFFIN:  Abraham  Lincoln.  By  Charles  Carleton 
Coffin.  New  York  and  London:  Harper  & 
Brothers,  1905. 

CRISPIN:  A  New  Historical  Lecture.  Abraham 
Lincoln  the  First  American.  By  Rev.  William 
Frost  Crispin,  D.D.  Akron,  Ohio.  1911. 

CROOK:  The  Home  Life  of  Lincoln.  Personal 
Recollections  of  Col.  W.  H.  Crook,  Body 
guard  of  President  Lincoln.  Saturday  Evening 
Post.  June  4,  1910. 

CROSBY:  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  Sixteenth 
President  of  the  United  States.  By  Frank 
Crosby.  Philadelphia:  John  E.  Potter.  1865. 

DANA:  Lincoln  and  His  Cabinet.  A  Lecture  Deliv 
ered  Before  the  New  Haven  Colony  Histori 
cal  Society,  Tuesday,  March  10,  1896.  By 
Charles  Anderson  Dana,  Assistant  Secretary 
of  War,  1863-65.  Souvenir  of  the  Thirteenth 

[94  ] 


Annual    Lincoln    Dinner    of    the    Republican 

Club  of  the  City  of  New  York.    1899. 
DRAPER:     Lincoln's     Parable.     By  A.  S.  Draper. 

Harper's  Weekly,  October  26,  1907. 
DUNN:   Canal   and  Liquor  War  Both  Urged  by 

Lincoln.      By  Arthur  Wallace   Dunn.      The 

Woman's    National    Daily,    St.    Louis,    Mo., 

May  17,  1909. 
GERRY:     Lincoln's   Last   Day.     By   William    H. 

Crook.    Compiled  and  Written  Down  by  Mar- 

farita  S.  Gerry.  Harper's  Monthly,  Septem- 
er  1907. 

GLIMPSES:  Glimpses  of  the  Nation's  Struggle.  A 
Series  of  Papers  Read  Before  the  Minnesota 
Commandery  of  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States.  St.  Paul, 
Minn.:  St.  Paul  Book  and  Stationery  Co. 
1887.  "Reminiscences  of  the  Last  Year  of 
President  Lincoln's  Life.  By  Chaplain 
Edward  D.  Neill,  D.D." 

HAYNIE:  At  the  Death  Bed  of  Lincoln.  By 
Edwin  C.  Haynie.  Century  Magazine,  April 
1896. 

HERNDON:  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  True  Story  of 
a  Great  Life.  By  William  H.  Herndon  and 
Jesse  W.  Weik.  Two  volumes.  New  York: 
D.  Appleton  &  Co.  1906. 

HOBSON:  Footprints  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Pre 
senting  Many  Interesting  Facts,  Reminiscen 
ces  and  Illustrations  Never  Before  Published. 
By  J.  T.  Hobson,  D.D.,  LL.B.  Dayton, 
Ohio:  The  Otterbein  Press.  1909. 

[  95  ] 


'B  East  Sag 


HOLLAND:  The  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  By 
J.  G.  Holland.  Springfield,  Mass.:  Gurdon 
Bill.  1866. 

KECKLEY:  Behind  the  Scenes.  By  Elizabeth 
Keckley.  Formerly  a  Slave,  but  More 
Recently  Modiste,  and  Friend  to  Mrs.  Abra 
ham  Lincoln.  New  York:  G.  W.  Carleton 
&  Co.  1868. 

LAUGHLIN:  The  Death  of  Lincoln.  The  Story 
of  Booth's  Plot,  His  Deed  and  the  Penalty. 
By  Clara  E.  Laughlin.  New  York:  Double- 
day,  Page  &  Co.  1909. 

LELAND:  Abraham  Lincoln.  By  Charles  G.  Leland. 
London:  Marcus  Ward  &  Co.  1879. 

McCLURE:  "Abe"  Lincoln's  Yarns  and  Stories. 
With  Introduction  and  Anecdotes  by  Colonel 
Alexander  K.  McClure,  of  the  Philadelphia 
Times,  a  Personal  Friend  and  Adviser  of  the 
Story  Telling  President.  Copyright  by  Henry 
Neill.  1901. 

MORRIS  :  Memorial  Record  of  the  Nation's  Tribute 
to  Abraham  Lincoln.  Compiled  by  B.  F.  Mor 
ris.  Washington,  D.  C.  W.  H.  &  O.  H. 
Morrison.  1865. 

Moss:  Lincoln  and  Wilkes  Booth  as  Seen  on  the 
Day  of  the  Assassination.  By  M.  Helen 
Palmes  Moss.  Century  Magazine,  April 
1909. 

MUDGE:  The  Forest  Boy:  A  Sketch  of  the  Life 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  for  Young  People.  By 
Z.  A.  Mudge.  New  York:  Carlton  &  Porter. 
1867, 

[96] 


NATIONAL  PROHIBITIONIST:  Collier's  Ignorance. 
Editorial  in  the  National  Prohibitionist, 
Chicago,  March  25,  1909. 

NEW  YORK  AMERICAN:  Lincoln — Premonition  of 
Death  in  His  Dream.  Article  in  New  York 
American  and  Journal,  February  7,  1909. 

NEW  YORK  WORLD:  Anniversary  of  Lincoln's 
Assassination,  One  of  the  Most  Thrilling 
Tragedies  in  History.  Article  in  New  York 
World,  April  14,  1901. 

NICOLAY  AND  HAY:  Abraham  Lincoln:  A  History. 
By  John  G.  Nicolay  and  John  Hay.  Ten 
volumes.  New  York:  The  Century  Co.  1904. 

OLDROYD:  The  Assassination  of  Abraham  Lin 
coln.  Flight,  Pursuit,  Capture,  and  Punish 
ment  of  the  Conspirators.  By  Osborn  H. 
Oldroyd.  Washington,  D.  C.:  O.  H.  Oldroyd. 
1901. 

OMAHA  ISSUE:  Lincoln  Did  Say  It.  Editorial  in 
Omaha  (Neb.)  Issue,  May  28,  1909. 

PHILADELPHIA  PUBLIC  LEDGER:  Lincoln's  Last 
Autograph.  Probably  on  a  Note  Sent  to  Sen 
ator  Stewart,  of  Nevada.  Article  from  Cin 
cinnati  Enquirer,  published  in  Ledger,  Febru 
ary  1903  (exact  date  not  known). 

PORTER:  Campaigning  with  Grant.  By  Horace 
Porter.  Century  Magazine,  November  1896- 
October  1897.  October  1897  issue,  "The  Sur 
render  at  Appomattox  and  the  Close  of  the 
War." 

PRATT  :  Lincoln  in  Story.  The  Life  of  the  Martyr- 
President  told  in  Authenticated  Anecdotes. 


'H  Haat  Sag 


Edited  by   Silas   G.   Pratt.      New  York:   D. 
Appleton  &  Co.    1903. 

RAYMOND:  The  Life  and  Public  Services  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln.  By  Henry  J.  Raymond.  To 
which  are  added  Anecdotes  and  Personal 
Reminiscences  of  President  Lincoln.  By 
Frank  B.  Carpenter.  New  York:  Derby  & 
Miller.  1865. 

REED:  The  Later  Life  and  Religious  Sentiments 
of  Abraham  Lincoln.  A  Lecture  by  Rev. 
J.  A.  Reed.  Scribner's  Monthly,  July  1873. 

RICE:  Reminiscences  of  Abraham  Lincoln  by 
Distinguished  Men  of  His  Time.  Collected 
and  edited  by  Allen  Thorndike  Rice.  New 
York:  The  North  American  Review.  1888. 

SEWARD:  Recollections  of  Lincoln's  Last  Hours. 
By  Hon.  Frederick  W.  Seward,  formerly 
Assistant  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United 
States.  Leslie's  Weekly,  February  4,  1909. 

SHEA:  The  Lincoln  Memorial:  A  Record  of  the 
Life,  Assassination  and  Obsequies  of  the 
Martyred  President.  Edited  by  John  Gil- 
mary  Shea.  New  York:  Bunce  &  Hunting- 
ton.  1865. 

STEVENS:  A  Reporter's  Lincoln.  By  Walter  B. 
Stevens.  Saint  Louis:  Missouri  Historical 
Society.  1916. 

STEWART:  A  Senator  of  the  Sixties.  Personal 
Recollections  of  William  M.  Stewart,  of 
Nevada.  Edited  by  George  Rothwell  Brown. 
Saturday  Evening  Post,  February  15,  1908. 

r  »8  ] 


SUCCESS:  Lincoln's  Last  Official  Act.  He  Par 
doned  a  Young  Man  Who  Had  Been 
Condemned  to  Death  as  a  Confederate  Spy. 
Success  Magazine,  April  1903. 

TARBELL:  The  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Drawn 

from  Original  Sources. By  Ida  M.  Tarbell. 

Two  volumes.  New  York:  McClure,  Phillips 
&  Co.  1904. 

THAYER  :  From  Pioneer  Home  to  the  White  House. 
Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  By  William  M. 
Thayer.  With  eulogy  by  Hon.  George 
Bancroft.  New  York:  Hurst  &  Co.  1900(?) 

THOMPSON:  Abraham  Lincoln,  His  Life  and  Its 
Lessons.  A  Sermon  Preached  on  Sabbath, 
April  30,  1865.  By  Joseph  P.  Thompson, 
D.D.,  Pastor  of  the  Broadway  Tabernacle 
Church.  New  York:  Loyal  Publication 
Society.  1865. 

TRIBUTES:  Abraham  Lincoln.  Tributes  from  His 
Associates.  Reminiscences  of  Soldiers,  States 
men  and  Citizens.  With  Introduction  by  the 
Rev.  William  Hayes  Ward,  D.D.  New  York: 
Thomas  Y.  Crowell  &  Co.  1895. 

WELLES:  Lincoln  and  Johnson.  First  Paper.  By 
Gideon  Welles.  The  Galaxy,  April  1872. 

WHITE:  Abraham  Lincoln — Framer  of  a  Liquor 
Law.  By  Charles  T.  White.  Christian 
Advocate,  February  6,  1919. 

WILLIAMS:  Lincolnics.  Familiar  Sayings  of 
Abraham  Lincoln.  Collected  and  Edited  by 
Henry  Llewellyn  Williams.  New  York  and 
London:  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons.  1906, 


ICtttroln's  East  Sag 


WORKS:  Complete  Works  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
Edited  by  John  G.  Nicolay  and  John  Hay. 
New  and  enlarged  edition.  Twelve  volumes. 
New  York:  Francis  D.  Tandy  Co.  1905. 
"Gettysburg  Edition/' 

WRITINGS:  The  Writings  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
Edited  by  Arthur  Brooks  Lapsley.  Eight 
volumes.  New  York:  The  Lamb  Publishing 
Co.  1905.  "National  Edition/' 

YATES:  Lincoln.  Speech  of  Hon.  Richard  Yates, 
of  Illinois,  in  the  House  of  Representatives, 
February  12,  1921.  Washington:  Govern 
ment  Printing  Office.  1921. 


[  100  ] 


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